Forever will not keep us connected
by 5namida
Summary: (Spoiler Alert...!) For certain, Souji knew his life would have ended that one cold night. However, fate led a duo to give him another chance. Instead of living a new life, Souji only wanted to go back into the flames of the war. What would he do upon learning the news of the Shinsengumi? Where was Yukimura Chizuru and everyone else? What else lie in wait?
1. Chapter 0: Just A Short Encounter

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything but my random writing.

**Author's Note**: This used to be a One Shot called Just A Short Encounter, but I decided to continue it. ...The one shot was written two years ago, I think.

**Warning**: In case you missed the details of the story, there will be OCs in this fanfic. And the deaths of the characters are involved.

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**Chapter 0: ****Just A Short Encounter**

"There's that brat again," a man mumbled tiresomely.

The little boy named Okita Souji walked out of the front gates of Kondou's residence. He was tying his brown hair up and adjusting it while his green eyes focused on the path ahead of him. He had heard someone saying something stupid and just ignored a couple of men as he ran pass them. In his mind, he kept reminding himself what to buy. He was carrying a small black clothed bag in his hand, tightly grasping it.

Entering the market area, people behind booths were selling many kinds of things. Souji paid no attention to the jewelries, clothes, and candy snacks. He approached the booth that had vegetables and looked up at the old woman who was selling them.

"I like a bundle," Souji's childish voice requested.

The old woman smiled gently, grabbing the leafy vegetable and handing it towards him. "I don't see you here very often," she said, smiling with her eyes.

Souji took out a coin out of the same small bag. He took the vegetable while handing her the money in her other hand. "…Just doing an errand," he smirked. "For Kondou-san."

"Ah, I see," she slowly nodded. "I didn't know he had accepted another child into his home… How is Toshizo?"

Souji didn't know this old woman very well, but smiled, "Just fine."

When he turned around to leave, she waved, "Good day now, child."

While he waved back, looking over his shoulders to her, he then bumped into someone shortly after. The two of them fell to the ground together, crying out loud. Souji rubbed his knee as he sat up and looked at the girl who seemed younger than him. "Hey…" he started to say.

The girl glared at him. She had brown hair reaching to her neck and blue eyes. "Hey, watch it!" she nearly shouted. She wasn't hurt and dusted herself as she stood up, looking down at him. She was wearing a simple blue kimono. "Weren't you looking at all?"

Souji glared back. "If you had happened to look and noticed that I wasn't, then we would not have bumped into each other," he told her calmly. "So you weren't looking either." How could she blame him?

She showed a bit of shame but put her hands on her hips, leaning forward. "Geez, at least say you're sorry," she glared again.

He didn't back away from her and picked up the bundle of vegetables, standing up. "You're also at fault!" he tried to keep his cool. "There's no way I'm apologizing to you."

The girl backed away, half scare. Someone touched the girl's right shoulder and she looked up to see who it was. "Auntie Akiko…" the girl whimpered.

A young woman with very long brown hair and kind brown eyes slightly pulled the girl away from Souji. Smiling at him, she said, "I'm sorry for her behavior. This is her first time in a crowded place like this."

Souji stared at the woman, slightly nodding after a moment. He wasn't exactly angry anyway. "It's fine," he grinned.

The little girl pouted, eyeing Souji. She tugged on Akiko's sleeve. "I'm getting hungry," she mumbled to her softly.

"If you apologize first, then we will," Akiko smiled pleasantly. The little girl's eyes sadden, as if regretful.

Souji walked away first, not wanting to hear the stupid girl complain. But then he heard her call, "I'm really sorry." He didn't stop walking and ignored her. She sounded kind enough and as if she did really meant it, but he didn't care. He just wanted to see Kondou's happy expression once when he returned back home with the errand he ran for him. He was smiling to himself and disappeared from the woman and girl's sight in no time.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then is adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Story notes (just in case)**:

Rasetsu - Fury  
Ochimizu - Water of Life

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**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Kanon-hime, there's someone injured over here!"

Who's that? It sounded like a young man's voice.

Footsteps rustled in the grass. "What terrible injuries! Hurry, Kanon-hime! We must save him!" the same voice shouted.

The female voice was now heard. "Why is his hair white? He's not some kind of monster, is he?"

"Will you just shut up and heal him?"

Souji thought he had had his last moments. He was ready for death. His illness was already eating his life away, let alone his form of being a Rasetsu, which shortened his life span. If heavens wanted him to live, he would only return to the Shinsengumi. Return to the side of his dear friends who were still out there fighting a war.

[…^…]

There was nothing but shadows. Complete darkness. The air felt cold to the bones. But it was worth it. Souji was regaining his conscious, even if his body ached. His mind was getting stronger with passing time. Although, he was worried how long he was out for. _They need me_, he would tell himself over and over.

"Hey, his hands are cold, Kanon-hime!" the guy's voice from before sounded alarmed.

"Then use your hands to warm them up, Saburo!" the same girl's voice retorted rather loudly.

The guy sighed in distress, "But I'm a guy…!"

She snickered, "Like that dead person would know."

"…I'm going to get fire then."

"Ohhhh no you don't!" she said. There were sounds of them struggling. "We need to save as much firewood as possible!"

Groaning, he told her, "Then please warm his hands up! His blood flow must stay warm. Unless you want to heal him again."

"…But I'm a girl. You would let such a lowly person touch your princess?"

"You don't act like one though," he sneered. "He won't know as long as he's asleep, right?"

His fingers twitched. Souji wanted to open his eyes, but they were rather close shut.

"Fine, whatever!" Kanon said.

More footsteps and Souji heard someone next to his right. Soft warm hands took his hand and rubbed it slowly.

"Wow, his hand is like… frozen."

"See?" the guy said.

She hissed, "Shut up! Go get a towel and hot water for me!"

"For him? Okay!"

Someone walked away and the footsteps grew distance. Souji found his breathing easier now and his left hand twitched.

Kanon's voice sighed, "Poor guy… it is already spring, but you're freezing up so bad."

It was already spring? How much time had passed? Souji tried harder to control his weak, aching body. His two hands moved and Kanon's hands dropped his right hand on the ground. Souji's eyebrows started to move and his eyes slowly opened.

His eyes stared at the ceiling. It was supported with wood and he could see the tile sets of the roof. His body was under a thin layer of a blanket and underneath felt like stone. And then at the corner of his eyes, Kanon was staring at him curiously. Her brown hair was long, he was not sure how long, and her eyes were blue.

"Good morning," she patted on his head. Her black and blue kimono's sleeve touched his face and he blinked. "How are you feeling, Mister White Hair?"

He blinked again and asked, "…My hair is white?"

"It was when I first saw you," she told him.

Souji turned his head to her. The length of her brown hair was touching the floor since she was sitting. He could not help but studied her. "…Who are you?" he inquired. He seemed to be lying on the floor of a small shed. "Where… am I?"

"Uh, you can call me Kanon," she pounded on her chest, giving him a dry expression. "You're in my village with no name."

He weakly gave her a weird look. "…Then which part of the country are we in?"

"Hmm," she smiled to herself rather mischievously. "That's a secret. I'm not supposed to let outsiders in, but Saburo is just too kind hearted."

Then he remembered about his friends. When he moved to get up, she used her left hand to push him back down. "Hey," he moaned. His stomach was hurting and he did not struggle too much.

Kanon patted on his head again. "There, there," she grinned. "The weak needs to stay in bed. Since Saburo saved you and I healed you, you better stay down until you're completely healed."

"I… appreciate your efforts, but I must really go," Souji tried to get up again. He barely even made it halfway and she pushed him back down with her hand. Getting irritated, he lightly glared at her. "I have to go."

She glared back and said, "I don't care."

"Hey, Kanon-hime!"

Turning her head around, she saw Saburo walking in with a large wooden bowl of steaming hot water and a towel hanging from the edge of the bowl. Souji used this chance and used as much strength as he could. When he moved up loudly, Kanon looked back at him with alarm and hurried to get him back down. But their timing was rather off and their bodies slammed into each other. Souji fell back and his head missed the pillow.

"Ow…" Kanon winced, rubbing her neck. Apparently, Souji's head hit there. She glared, "The hell, watch what you're doing! You hurt me, apologize, you dumbass!"

Souji rubbed his head and managed to sit up. "You weren't looking either," he narrowed his eyes at her. His forehead had sweats and he rubbed them.

"Hey, don't start arguing with the injured," Saburo frowned. His hair was jet-black and put back in a small ponytail while his bangs covered his ears. And his eyes was silver.

Silence seemed to have fallen and Souji breathed heavily. He realized Kanon was giving him a shocked look. "…What?"

She stood up and angrily said, "You're that boy from long ago!"

Saburo and Souji both stared at her with complete confusion. But Souji did not care and said, "I need to go!"

Now being rougher, she used her foot and pushed him back down. "I would let you go, now that I remembered, but I can't," she mumbled. "Plus, I already used effort to keep you alive, so you're not going anywhere until I say so!"

"K-Kanon-hime," Saburo blinked nervously.

"Oh, sounds like your friend's awake," a familiar voice was close by.

Kanon did not look back, "Don't come in! I'm in the middle of something here!"

Souji's eyes looked to the door. Two men walked in anyway. They were Harada Sanosuke and Shiranui Kyou. "Sano-san?" Souji's face brightened up a bit.

In an opened shirt, there was a wound on Sanosuke's right side of his waist. He smiled at Souji and waved, "It's good to see you're awake, Souji."

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Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then is adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

To Aen Silver Fire: I had fun chatting with you in our messages! If this fanfic story gets boring for you, you can stop reading anytime you want. I will keep writing, even if I'm a bit slow. Or just really, really slow. 8D (I know I'll be slow after this chapter, for sure!)

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**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 2**

It was that night when Harada slowly lost his vision. Beside him, Shiranui Kyou could only keep his company, seeing as there was nothing he could do to save Harada's life. The light of the cold moon felt lonely, but Harada smiled because Kyou was still there with him.

The thought of leaving Shinpachi behind worried Sanosuke. His friend would wonder where he had gone and might even search for him forever. Unable to pass a message to Kyou, Sanosuke's conscious stopped and his breathe gone.

"I see two good looking guys are over there," the voice of a young woman said rather sarcastically.

Quickly looked to his left, Kyou saw a young-looking woman walking with a tall man, who had a cold look on his face. '…_Who are they_?' Kyou narrowed his eyes, his hand gripping on his gun.

"Ayumu, it looks like one of them is dying," the young woman pointed. Her short hair was black and her eyes were dull orange. She was wearing a complete dark blue kimono. Her expression had no emotion or whatsoever.

The tall man beside her, appearing to actually look younger than her, had long brown hair that was not tied and it covered his shoulders. His red eyes studied over to Sanosuke. "He's already dead, Yumeko," he told the young woman. His choice of his clothes was color gray.

They both stopped walking and she looked at her friend. "Not unless you save him in time," she tugged his sleeve. "Hurry."

Puzzled, Kyou stood up and faced their way. "Save him?" he inquired, sneering. "He's already dead."

The girl with the short black hair ignored Kyou and gave Ayumu a soft kick in the back of his knee, which he was leaning more weight on. His same knee bent forward and he lost his cool posture. "If you're not going to do it, I'll kill myself right now and be his wife in the afterlife," she threatened calmly. With a pause, there was no reaction from the tall man. "…Are you going to do it or not?"

Kyou raised an eyebrow and had no idea what was going on. Or what was going to happen.

With a frown, Ayumu stepped forward and looked at Kyou. "If you don't mind, I'll save your friend's life right away," he told him.

"He's not exactly a friend," Kyou smirked.

Approaching them, Ayumu kneeled in front of Sanosuke. He sighed when Yumeko faked a cough, telling him to hurry up. "This is just a complete waste of time," Ayumu mumbled with emotionless a stare.

[…^…]

"That's what happened?" Souji inquired. He was still in the shed and alone with only Sanosuke and Kyou. While Souji and Sanosuke were sitting on the ground, facing each other, Kyou was leaning back against the opened door. "But… why are you here then?"

"Uh," Sanosuke's eyes looked up. "That Ayumu guy said I had to follow him no matter what. He used words like he was my benefactor and that I now must serve him to repay back his… kindness." In the end, Sanosuke still had to leave without saying anything to Shinpachi.

Lost in thought for a few seconds, Souji slowly looked over to Kyou. "And you?" he questioned.

"I'm interested in Ayumu's strange healing powers," Kyou grinned, glancing over to Souji. "No one in this world can do that after all. Maybe it can save more lives in this war."

War. Souji's eyes burned bright and he faced to Sanosuke again. "Sano-san, we have to get to Hijikata-san," he said with concern.

"What happened when I was gone?" Sanosuke inquired first.

Outside of the shed, there were some few houses around, but more than half of them were worn out. Just about couple of houses away from the shed, Saburo was cutting a small log standing upright on a trunk. He had an ax in both hands. Kanon was nearby an old table and washed her face with the warm water Saburo had gotten.

After cutting down the wood over the trunk, he paused his work. Saburo lowered his ax and looked over to Kanon. "What do you think they are talking about?" he asked curiously.

"Mm," she shrugged, flapping the towel to dry a bit. "Something about the outside world, I bet."

Saburo blinked, "…Are you going to allow him to leave?"

"Obviously not!" Kanon flattened her eyes to him. She laid the towel on the table by the bowl of used water and started to make a fighting stance. "He's not completely heal and I did that for a reason."

He watched her punched and kicked the air, training by herself. "…He seemed really eager though," Saburo smiled nervously.

"Then next time don't cry over a dead body and don't tell me to heal him," she shot him a light glare. He cracked a tense smile. Kanon leaped forward and kicked high over her head. Leaving her foot in midair, she frowned. "Now I can't leave him alone. So he's going to have to stay here until the news of the war is over."

Saburo scratched his cheek and he turned his head up to a roof. Ayumu and Yumeko were sitting on the roof together, but kept their distance from each other while seated. "How were you guys able to keep Harada-san around anyway?" he inquired with a blank face. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from them.

"Oh," Yumeko pointed to Ayumu and her finger touched his cheek. "He pretty much just said, 'I saved you. So now you're going to work for me.' Something of the sort."

"Pretty much," Ayumu nodded away, his eyes at the blue sky.

Saburo beamed and looked over to Kanon, who gave him a disgusted look in return. "You can say that to Okita Souji too, Kanon-hime!" he excitedly waved his ax around.

"No, no, no," she walked up to him. She took the ax and almost looked like she was going to hit him with it. "I'm not going to follow my brother's idea. I can think of one by myself!"

Slowly, Ayumu looked down from the sky. "You disappoint your onii-sama," he flatly stated.

She gave him a frown, "Your onee-sama isn't going to follow her little brother's way of thinking! Not in a million lifetimes!"

At the siblings, both Yumeko and Saburo could only sigh with boredom.

"Oh," Yumeko pointed to the shed where Sanosuke and Kyou were walking out. "I think they're done talking."

"Good!" Kanon stomped off. "I'll show all of you what I got to make Souji stay!"

"Kanon-himeee…" Saburo whined with embarrassment. She still had the ax in her hand too. Will this all end up bloody? He rushed after her just in case.

When Kanon ran right pass Sanosuke and Kyou, Souji had just exited the door. Kanon pushed him back in with one hand. "You're not going anywhere!" she strongly said.

Souji glared at her. "There's no point keeping me here," he told her, frustrated with her attitude.

At the same time as Kyou was looking back, Sanosuke went over to where Ayumu was. With a serious face, he called, "Ayumu, I have something to ask of you."

Ayumu said nothing and Sanosuke waited. Narrowing her eyes, Yumeko nudged Ayumu in the arm. "What?" Ayumu questioned, his eyes growing cold.

"There's somewhere I have to go," Sanosuke said rather determinedly. "When I come back, I'll repay your kindness."

"What if you die out there before then?" Ayumu inquired, tilting his head. "What would you do then?"

Yumeko waved to Sanosuke, "We'll come with you."

With a grunt, Ayumu looked at her, "Yumeko, shut up."

"You're stuck with us either way," Yumeko told Sanosuke. Seeing his face brightened up a bit, she added, "But your wounds had not completely recover. So we'll depart together first thing in the morning."

Sanosuke smiled, "Thank you both."

Ayumu snarled without another word and Yumeko gave Sanosuke a thumps up with a blank expression.

From the shed, Souji raised his voice, "What right do you have to keep me here?!"

Saburo sweat dropped, "Ah, Kanon-hime…"

Finally annoyed, Kanon grabbed Souji's shirt and pulled him close so he could feel her breathe. "You can't go anywhere until the war is over. You were supposed to be dead anyway, so there's no point going out there," she told him harshly.

He glared at her, "I'll kill you if you stop me one more time."

"Ha!" she pushed him away with a smirk. He stumbled backwards and his back hit against the wall. She watched him struggle to stand properly with a pained expression. "I like to see you try!"

"Careful, he's still injured!" Saburo uneasily waved his arms.

Kanon threw the ax to the side and slightly turned her body. "If you can beat me, you can leave," she told him. Souji glared again and stood up straight. "Do you think you can do it, eh?"

Kyou whistled and Saburo whined. "Kanon-hime!" he pulled on her arm. She brushed Saburo away without looking at him.

"Fine," Souji accepted her challenge. He would do anything to get away from her grasp.

She folded her arms to her chest and looked away with her eyes closed. Souji felt offended and charged at her with no weapon.

"Souji!" Sanosuke just realized what was going on when he looked back.

With his right fist, Kanon dodged to the right. Souji glared and swung his right arm to her and she backed away with one step. She opened one of her eyes and he turned his body to hit her with his left fist now. She docked and did a round kick at his ankles, causing him to flip and fall on his bottom with a loud thud.

"Geez…" Saburo slapped his face, closing one eye.

Souji moaned painfully and got up. He breathed heavily, but then noticed something different about it. He touched his chest and was stunned. '…_Wait_,' he told himself. Was he not sick? He would cough nonstop, but now it was it was not even there.

"If you give up, then say it," Kanon said. He looked at her seriously and stretched his fingers. "I'll fight you any day until you feel better. But for now, since you can't even hurt me, you're staying here and rest."

He bit his lower lip and could only glare at the bratty girl. Then she smiled happily and gestured off to the right. Souji looked where she was trying to show and the ax was lying over there. Standing where he was, he gazed to her.

"Use any weapon you like," she grinned. "And I'll use none."

Wanting to leave as soon as possible, even if he was not fully healed, Souji walked over to the ax.

"Hey, hey," Saburo was even more nervous. "Are you serious, Kanon-hime?"

"Very," Kanon said, keeping her eyes on Souji.

Kyou was staring at Kanon and Saburo. '…_Hime_?' he thought to himself.

When Souji picked up the ax, Sanosuke called, "Souji, wait. How about I go out there and find Hijikata first? Why don't you rest here for the time being?"

"Sano-san," Souji turned his stiff body and looked over to him. His eyes were serious and Sanosuke stared back. "You can go first… I'll be right behind you."

"But," Sanosuke raised his hands. He simply did not want to see him fight a girl who may only be just a little younger then Souji. "A man should never raise a blade to a woman, Souji."

"Not to worry," Souji said, glaring at Kanon's smiling face. He cooled his head and gained more control of his body. "She started it."

Sanosuke frowned, "That's not a good reason."

With no more words to exchange, Souji slowly took side steps to the right. Kanon stood where she was and crossed her arms to her chest again. Gripping on the handle of the ax, he swiftly charged forward.

Noticing the change in his pace, she backed three steps. When he was close enough, she had jumped from the ground. Her foot landed on his left shoulder and his eyes widened with surprise. Giving him a good push, she leaped off of him and he fell on the ground on his stomach and the ax fell away his weak hand. Kanon landed over a well and gracefully faced him.

Grunting, Souji pushed himself up and panted. That last move he did already used his strength up. "…Damn it!" he hit the ground with his fist, still on his knees.

Everyone was quiet and Souji was unable to bring himself back up. Ayumu closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh.

"…Anyone hungry?" Yumeko asked casually, hoping to lighten up the mood.

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Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then is adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 3**

Putting on dark green clothes, Saburo was ready for second day. He walked out of a small worn out house and he was just in time to see his friends with the other two guys heading to the exit of the empty village. Beyond the exit was the forest.

"What about breakfast?" Saburo called to them.

Everyone stopped walking, but only Ayumu walked forward. Sanosuke and Yumeko looked back to Saburo and Kyou only gave him a glance. Yumeko waved, "We'll go and hunt something for ourselves along the way." Tied to her back was a black bag, which held a cylinder object.

"Oh," Saburo felt lonely and waved back. "Be careful out there then…"

Sanosuke nodded with a smile, "We will. And take care of Souji for me while I'm gone."

Nodding with a small smile, Saburo said, "Okay."

With a light chuckle, Kyou moved first without a word. Eventually Sanosuke and Yumeko both went along with the two in the front and never looked back.

[…^…]

Letting out a big sigh, Saburo was watching from the side while Souji and Kanon were at it again. The three of them were just finished with breakfast too, which took almost two hours to make. "Can't we all just get along?" Saburo voiced over their battle cries.

In Souji's right hand, he had a wooden stick and was aiming close to her body. But she dodged them successfully each time. His stomach ached from the wound, but forced himself to hit the crap out of her. Swinging with care, he realized her all of her evasion were smooth and on time.

Leaping backwards, Kanon did a back flip and her feet pause on the ground. Souji rested his arms as he glared at her. "If you keep trying to do this every day, you won't be able to entirely heal within a few days," Kanon pouted at his stubbornness.

"I don't need to be in a good condition to take down a brat like you," Souji told her. A vein appeared on her head when he labeled her as a 'brat'. He swung his wooden stick in front of him and held it with both hands. Narrowing his eyes, she yawned to mock him. "I don't have time to play around with you any longer," he said, his eye color becoming from green to red.

Bending her knees to lower herself a bit, she stared as Souji's hair turned white. "I can see you're very serious about this," she frowned. '_What kind of power is that_?' Her heart started to beat faster at the fear of his death glare. He was really meaning to finish her off.

Worried, Saburo was anxious to jump in. He did not desire any of them to get hurt.

"Even if you're barehanded, even if you're a girl," Souji breathed heavily. His body was going to be weak again. He had to finish this today. "I won't hold back."

"Ha, good luck beating me up to death then," she grinned. She shook her hands to lose the fear.

Souji moved first. Saburo gasped at Souji's sudden change of speed and he walked forward. But then Saburo tripped and landed on his face.

First, the wooden stick struck from his left side. Unable to dodge it in time, Kanon stepped back and used her right arm to block it. The impact of Souji's strength stung her and her bone shivered in pain. Quickly raising her left leg, she kicked him in the shoulder and he slightly fell off to his left. But he stood his ground and she took her chance to distance herself from him.

"Arrrgggg!" Souji charged forward, thrusting the wooden stick to her chest.

Kanon just regained her balance from kicking and glared into his eyes. Barely dodging, the wooden stick had hit just above where her heart was. '_OW_!' she slapped the wooden stick away annoyingly. Souji slightly lost grip of his footing and fell forward to her. She snapped her eyes at him and he tumbled over her. "Whoa!" she cried before her head hit the ground.

"Guys!" Saburo got up from his feet. His mouth dropped when he saw the moment they fell on the ground together.

"Get off!" Kanon elbowed Souji's skull. He grunted from her blow and she simply pushed him off with two hands. Souji rolled on his back and panted, trying to breathe in air. Kanon sat up and sighed heavily. She looked to him and his hair and eye color changed back. "Had enough for today yet?" she poked his arm.

"Ah…" he breathed, waving his hand to slap her away. "Yeah… for now…"

Saburo rushed to them. "This isn't going to go anywhere," he told them, putting his hands on his hips. "Kanon-hime, can't we just go with him and the others?"

"Be quiet," Kanon flattened her eyes at him. "This is my home. I'm never leaving."

Still trying to catch his breath, Souji looked over to the two of them curiously.

"Everyone won't be coming back anymore," Saburo frowned, slapping his own face. "We can't just stay—"

Kanon got up and dusted herself. "I'm going to go and take a bath at the river," she said, walking passed Saburo. With her pouting face, she walked away quickly. "Make sure Souji doesn't go anywhere, Saburo!"

"Geez," Saburo looked after her with a concerned expression.

Sitting up, Souji narrowed his eyes at Kanon's back. Then she disappeared behind a house. '…_This isn't going to get anywhere_,' Souji cited Saburo's words. The more time he spent here, the less time he would have to search for his friends out there. Anything could have happened to them by now.

"Okita-san, I'm sorry about Kanon-hime's behavior," Saburo slightly bowed. He then gave Souji a smile and held his hand down to him. "But I'll convince her for you."

Souji looked up at him and slowly took his hand. "There's no need," he said as Saburo pulled him up to his feet. Souji took a note that Saburo's hand was firm and strong. '…_I'll have to take different measures to leave this place as soon as possible_,' Souji turned to head back to the shed. He needed his strength back first. Even for a minute, he would use the time now to regain some of his energy back.

[…^…]

There was a brown rabbit that walked out of its home from underground. And then suddenly a knife flew right through its body and pinned it to the ground.

Yumeko took her time to walk up to the dead animal and picked up the rabbit by the ears. "Here's our breakfast," she called, looking behind her.

From behind the tree, Ayumu walked out and leaned against the trunk with his shoulder. Sansouke appeared on the other side with an impressed smile. "You're good at throwing knifes around," Sanosuke commented.

"Thank you," she simply nodded. Her eyes now looked up at the tree where Kyou was. He sat on the branch and paid no attention to them. "Kyou, you sure you don't want to eat with us?"

"I'm good," Kyou waved his hand to dismiss her. "Don't concern yourself with me."

Ayumu gave her a disapproving expression. "You already asked him five times. Forgot about him," he told her.

"Just being nice," Yumeko shrugged to him, walking off to look around. "I remember hearing the river over there… Can someone find firewood?"

"I got it," Sanosuke volunteered.

Yumeko blinked and glanced back when Sanosuke went off on his own. "Ayumu, go and help him," she ordered.

"He won't go far," Ayumu looked away.

She faced over to him and blinked again. "That's what I'm worried about," she said. "Go with him, please. Just in case."

Ayumu grunted and turned around, going in the same direction where Sanosuke headed.

With a small smile, Yumeko continued on her own way. Kyou jumped off the tree and called, "Will you tell me how Ayumu revived Harada back to life now?"

She did not stop walking. "No," she told him firmly. "Not without Ayumu's permission."

Kyou grinned, "Tsk."

[…^…]

Outside of the shed, Saburo was serving a hot teapot with three emptied cups. He smiled happily, hoping to cheer Souji up with the warm drink. And just as Saburo walked in, he said, "Okita-san! I got—"

From behind, Souji used the wooden stick and hit it at the back of Saburo's neck. The jet-black haired guy lost consciousness and fell forward. The hot teapot spilled to the side and the tea splashed on the wall and the floor.

"Sorry, Saburo-kun," Souji mumbled quietly, throwing the wooden stick away. Just seeing the poor guy falling like that left a slight regret. "But I have to go and find Hijikata-san and the others."

Souji walked out the door and wobbled for a second. The strength he used was all up again. He snickered to himself for not being able to move how he used too, but he wanted to hurry. Telling his feet to move, he jogged toward the exit of the emptied village.

[…^…]

In a small river, Kanon just tied her waistband over her black and blue kimono. "Phew, that feels nice!" she smiled happily. Stretching her arms out, her body felt so much more relaxed. But then the thought of seeing Souji made her muscles tingle. "Time to head back… Maybe I was out a little too long."

The moment she took a step, her knees became weak and she fell on them. She was falling forward, but used her palms to keep her up. Shocked, she was dead silent and her body begun trembling. Her vision blurred and she suddenly coughed out blood.

"Damn," she narrowed her eyes. She wiped the blood on her mouth with her sleeve. "Did Souji escape from Saburo?" she asked herself. Unable to support herself, she fell on her side. Panting, her body begun to sweat. "I just took a freaking bath," she grunted painfully.

Her nails dug the ground. No one was around to help her. She tried to crawl and coughed out more blood.

"Sa… Saburo!" she tried to call out. Tears filled her eyes and she shut them. "Yumeko? …Ayumu!"

[…^…]

Around the firewood, the three guys were waiting for Yumeko to come back while Sanosuke was trying to make a fire. It was not long when Yumeko returned from skinning the rabbit, and also carrying a pot of water, which she had carried in her black bag from before. She stopped a few yards from the guys when she noticed Ayumu looking in the direction of the village.

"…Ayumu?" Yumeko stared at him emotionlessly.

His eyes glared and he looked over to them. "Something feels wrong," he said. "Pack up. We're going back to the village."

Kyou glanced to him and Sanosuke got up from working with the firewood. "Did something happen?" Sanosuke inquired with a serious face.

It was just a bad feeling and the feeling was getting Ayumu furious. He ignored the question and hurried off back to the way to the village.

Yumeko put the dead rabbit into the pot of water. "Kyou, Sanosuke," she looked at him, going after Ayumu. "Let's go back first."

"Why are you calling us by our first names?" Kyou questioned curiously with a smirk. Though he did not mind, but he simply wondered if she was just being rude to say their first names like that.

Sanosuke patted on Kyou's shoulder and said, "Let's just go. Ayumu looked worried."

Watching everyone going off first, Kyou shrugged, "Fine. Whatever."

On the pathless road, Ayumu ran faster. His long legs carried him more far off than the ones behind him and he continued to go even faster. Yumeko called to him, but he pretended not to hear. They were not even two miles away from the village so it should not be long before he saw the village.

However, what he saw first was Souji's figure.

Noticing Ayumu and the others were hurrying back, Souji wondered what was going on. And then he saw the glare from Ayumu's face and Souji embraced himself what was going to turn out next.

"Souji, what the hell are you doing out here alone?!" Ayumu exclaimed.

'_Another person who does not want me to leave_,' Souji stopped walking and Ayumu approached him, gripping on Souj's shirt. "I don't have time to talk to you," Souji narrowed his eyes at him.

Ayumu stared angrily, "You're not allowed to be away from Kanon for more than half of a mile. Go back, now."

Souji said, "I'm not going to listen—" Ayumu pulled on the collar and begun dragging Souji back to where the village was. "HEY!"

While Souji was struggling with no strength, Ayumu bit his lower lip. "If anything happens to Kanon, I'll kill you," he murmured deathly. "How did you get out without any supervision?"

Not capable of freeing himself, Souji could only be dragged with his feet. "I knocked Saburo out," he said, grunting and choking a bit.

"And Kanon?" Ayumu glanced back with cold eyes.

Trying to get Ayumu's hand off of him, Ayumu let him go and turned around to him. Souji replied, "She went to take a bath."

"A… bath?" Ayumu slowly said, his bangs covering his eyes. That meant she went to the river and the way there was a little far.

Now the other three behind had almost caught up. Yumeko's eyes snapped wide open and she made a quick dash. Ayumu raised his fist and wanted to punch Souji, but then Yumeko pushed Ayumu back and held him away from Souji.

"Then that means…!" Ayumu shouted, his eyes filled with rage and as well as concern.

Yumeko closed her eyes and Ayumu tried to push her away, grabbing her shoulders. "Ayumu, calm down!" she told him loudly, digging her heels into the ground.

"This bastard hurt Kanon!" Ayumu roared angrily, gritting his teeth.

At the same time Sanosuke and Kyou got to them, they could only stand in confusion. Souji was the same and it made no sense what Ayumu just said.

"Ayumu, please!" Yumeko tightly hugged around his body. "Find Kanon first! Hurry!"

Realization hit him and he could only glare at Souji for a few seconds. His body relaxed a bit and Yumeko slowly let him go. With one harder glare, Ayumu turned around to return to the village.

"What was that about?" Kyou inquired, watching Ayumu running as if his life depended on it.

"Souji, did you do something?" Sanosuke walked up from behind him. "You hurt Kanon, he said?"

"Of course not," Souji raised an eyebrow to him. "I have no idea what he's talking about. I only knocked Saburo-kun out when that girl wasn't around."

The three men eventually looked over to Yumeko, who did not face them and her eyes were at the ground. She sighed, "I wish I can say this… but I'm not allowed to." Lifting her head, she glanced to them. "I'm sorry, but can we go back to the village first? I'll make Ayumu explain about their heritage."

Kyou smirked, "About how Ayumu can revive people from the dead?"

"I can't guarantee the details for your question," she looked away. Taking the first step, she added, "But that does have something to do with it, yes."

"Reviving the dead?" Souji questioned.

Kyou grinned and followed Yumeko on his own interest.

Sanosuke slightly looked away with uncertainties. After a moment, he walked beside Souji and said, "Shiranui said that Ayumu used a strange power that brought me back from the dead… remember? I would assume Kanon-chan did the same to you."

"…I didn't ask her to, Sano-san," Souji said, looking at him.

"Are you saying you don't feel the slightest gratitude to be alive?" Sanosuke inquired, looking at him seriously. "You never thanked her? …Look, you're not even sick anymore."

Souji blinked, "So you've noticed."

Nodding, Sanosuke patted on his back, "Of course I did. If this girl did all of this for you, do you still feel nothing towards her?" There was a long pause and Souji had no emotion. Before Souji opened his mouth, Sanosuke said, "First, we head back to the village. Let's check what the fuss was about."

"Tsk," Souji looked away with disapproval. Sanosuke patted his back again and Souji nodded. "Fine."

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 4**

In the small house that was closed shut, Ayumu was sitting with his back up against the door. He did not want anyone to see his emotions any more than what he had already shown. His hands were covering his head and he was completely quiet. The voices of the others were just outside, but he chose to tune them out. After a while, his eyes looked over to where Kanon was resting. She was lying on a low bed and breathed normally.

Outside, Saburo paced back and forth. "I can't believe you, Okita-san!" he cried in front of Souji's face.

Souji gave him a weird look, "Look—"

"I'm not blaming you though!" Saburo walked off, throwing his hands in the air. "That's why I told Kanon-hime many times to just tell you the truth! She only waits until she gets hurt! That's how I found out about her secret because I ran off without knowing!"

"What secret?" Sanosuke inquired. He was next to Souji while Kyou was sitting on a table with Yumeko standing by him.

"We can't say," Yumeko's eyes closed halfway. She promised to keep it a secret after all. "Ayumu and Kanon are stubborn like that… But they have their reasons to hide it."

Frowning, Sanosuke then said, "Let me guess… For some reason, I'm not allowed to be far from Ayumu… right?" Saburo blinked and kept eyes elsewhere. Yumeko's face was expressionless and she had no comment. "And Ayumu didn't want Souji to be away from Kanon-chan either," Sanosuke elbowed to Souji, who gave him a blank look. "…Does that have to do something with them saving our lives?"

There was still no answer.

Kyou sneered, "It could be. Nice obvious observation, Harada."

To brush the Oni's statement off, Sanosuke merely smirked.

The door to the house opened and Ayumu walked out in silence. He closed it and turned to everyone, who looked back to him. It was Saburo who walked to Ayumu first. "She'll be fine," Ayumu said, not making eye contact with Saburo.

"Phew," Saburo smiled with relief. He wanted to check on Kanon because he had not seen her since he woke up from being knocked out. But Ayumu blocked the way with his arm. "Can't I just…?"

"I won't let her be disturbed at this moment," Ayumu's eyes gazed to Souji.

Saburo backed off quickly and sadly looked away. "I'm sorry, Ayumu," he quietly said. "It's my fault."

"I don't want any apologies from anyone," Ayumu said, mostly directly his words to Souji. Walking forward to him, Ayumu decided, "But I will tell you this. I'll judge on your reactions. If I don't like it, I won't let you harm Kanon's life again."

Wearing a serious face, Souji stood where he was. Ayumu stopped in front of him and he was taller than Souji. The two men did not back away and Sanosuke observed their expressions carefully. "You think I would listen to what you have to say?" Souji questioned with a smirk. "I won't sympathize with anyone when my own friends' lives are in danger out there."

"You're already a dead man," Ayumu looked down on him. His voice was calm and smooth. "Even if you went out, there's nothing you can change."

Sanosuke lowered his eyes and kept his thoughts to himself.

"From what I heard, Saburo was the one who wanted you to live," Ayumu continued to speak. "But Kanon was the one who could heal."

"I'm sorry, but…" Saburo played with his fingers.

In Souji's eyes, there was still no response. Ayumu wanted to punch Souji, but only frowned. "The moment Kanon saved you… you've become a part of her," Ayumu narrowed his eyes, explaining as little as possible. "Because she's weaker than me, you cannot leave her side for half of a mile. If you do, it would only end her life."

There was a slight shock in Souji's eyes now.

"So, Ayumu," Sanosuke raised his hand. "Is that why Yumeko-chan advised that we'd be together?"

"Why else would it be?" Ayumu shot him a glare. "I didn't want to save you though. Both Yumeko and Saburo are just nosy."

Unfazed, Yumeko proudly said, "I don't regret it."

"I know you don't," Ayumu hissed to her.

"What kind of power is it exactly?" Kyou inquired. "Why do you guys have such a thing?"

"It's just a curse that runs in our blood," Ayumu replied, turning away from Souji. "My ancestors rarely uses this skill to save anyone because it would only bring trouble to us…"

Souji narrowed his eyes, "Is there a way to break from Kanon's power then?"

"That…" Saburo looked at him with concern. Souji then looked to the black haired guy. "The only way you can be free from Kanon-hime is when she dies. Or just run away and let her die."

It was an answer Souji did not like.

Ayumu clarified, "Our cursed power may give us an advantage in life, but those who we save may not feel any gratitude and just leave our sides… That was how most of our people died. And the result of it all only remained Kanon and I." He glared and his hands turned into fists.

The question Kyou had asked for was not entirely explained. But he kept quiet to let whatever they may still have to say first. Twirling around with her arms spread out, Yumeko slightly hit Kyou's arm in the process. She walked off quietly by herself. Kyou ignored her when she might have accidentally hit him without meaning it and kept his ears opened to the conversation.

"So tell me, Okita Souji," Ayumu grimly looked over to him. "Even after knowing our background, do you still wish to let her die? Kanon refuses to leave here after all."

Souji looked at the ground and had his own train of thoughts. "…She's just being selfish," he said out loud.

Ayumu softened his glare, "I know."

"What do you expect me to do?" Souji asked with annoyance. He looked to Ayumu and gestured, "I don't want to stay here! I have to go!"

"Well then," Ayumu slightly moved. His hand signaled the door to the house where Kanon was resting. "Simply talk her out of it," he told him. "There's no need to follow _Ba_-Kanon's idea. You don't have to use actions to win her over. Just use your words."

Sanosuke smiled, "I agree with Ayumu." He gave Souji a confident grin. "Why don't you let her know about your feelings? Girls may be hard to talk to, but they're also easy as well."

Unsure, Souji said nothing.

Raising his hand high, Saburo offered, "I'll help you talk to her too, Okita-san! I mean, she is being unfair, though I understand her feelings and…!"

From the house, Kanon coughed and gasped, which interrupted everyone outside. "…I'm alive!" she cried and a ruckus was heard. The door then was slammed opened and she glared as soon as her eyes saw Souji. "YOU!"

"Kanon-hime!" Saburo jumped over to her for a hug.

Her hand pushed his face away and she yelled, "Saburo, I told you to watch him!"

"Kanon, I told him about our background already," Ayumu told her. Shocked, she looked at him with her mouth opened. "They had to know since you and I saved Saburo and Yumeko together once."

She grumbled words, but they made no sense.

Souji then spoke, "I'm still leaving."

Her head snapped to look at him, "Do you want me to die that badly?!" She pushed Saburo's face away and she ran to grab Souji's shirt. She pulled on him and said, "Go ahead and leave me here to die then! That way, I can join my aunt!"

Saburo nervously cried, "Don't say things like that, Kanon-hime!"

"Staying here is the same as death to me," Souji said as calmly as possible. She did not let him go and they looked into each other's eyes. "Either you die… or I die."

"Souji…" Sanosuke gave him a soft look.

Upset with Souji's words, Kanon questioned, "You'd throw your life away… because I'm keeping you here?"

"You and Saburo-kun may have saved me…" Souji bit his tongue and his eyes looked away. "But I just can't…" he trailed his sentence off. He was never really good at conveying his feelings to a bratty girl before. Especially the words from his heart. Would she even understand what he was trying to say?

She let him go and stayed in front of him. He seemed hesitant about leaving now. Now that he knew about her situation, she felt he might just leave her in the end.

"Kanon-hime," Saburo called rather quietly. "Okita-san can possibly have family and friends out there in the war… Can you really just stand there and watch him like this? Watching him worrying about the ones he loves?"

Souji grunted and slowly met Kanon's calm gaze. "I… still have people I care about," he murmured, trying harder to find the easy and right words.

Now she was realizing what she had been doing to Souji. She had already lost a lot of her love ones, but Souji may still have the chance. Kanon understood that feeling very well, but was too blinded on the past. And there was another thing.

"I didn't want you to know about my power because I didn't want my weakness to affect your decisions," she told him, crossing her arms and looking away. Souji slightly looked at her and she was smiling. "So I had fun when you didn't know a thing." It resulted him in showing what kind of person he was. A loyal person, he was.

"And now that I know about your power?" he asked, eager to leave again.

Kanon faced him again and inquired, "Tell me why you want to leave when you're already died the first time?"

Souji's mind was as clear as a crystal. "If I am still alive, I want to do what I still can," he answered honestly.

Looking as if she was enchanted, she thought about his words. In the background, Saburo was quietly cheering for the two to make up. Ayumu was already gone and Kyou was still at the table. And Sanosuke was chuckling softly.

Blinking a couple of times, Kanon's eyelids fluttered rather shamefully. "I'm sorry for holding you back," she told Souji.

He looked neutral. "You WERE holding me back," he found himself smirking. This was a conversation he was going to win now.

She grunted and flattened her eyes to him. '_I can always come back to the village_,' she told herself, glancing off to the side. There was nothing else to do in the village anymore. Kanon always kept herself in shape over the years too. Maybe it was time to use her skills for something. Maybe this was what she always wanted. Her eyes dryly looked at Souji. "Is it too late to say, I'll go with you?"

"We're stuck together, aren't we?" he shrugged. He felt a bit more carefree now.

Saburo jumped on Kanon's back. "Of course we are stuck together!" he beamed. "That means I'm coming too because Kanon's power is also inside of me!"

"Get off, Saburo!" she growled, elbowing his stomach.

"Ow, okay! Okay!"

Sanosuke laughed lightly at the three of them and was happy to see how things quickly turned out. If only it was much sooner though.

"Alright, time to eat," Yumeko's voice called. In her hands, she had made soup in a pot. She had cooked it since she came to the village. "I hope you guys like eating rabbits," she said with a expressionless doll-like face.

Ayumu was beside her and told everyone, "Eat and then we'll leave this place. Together."

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 5**

In a remote place, Ayumu walked on a pathless road alone. He was not far from the others and hoped no one followed him. His eyes were now set on a small graveyard just ahead of him. Directly heading to certain grave in the middle of the others, he stared at the wooden tablet that engraved someone's name: _Fujimoto Akiko_.

"…_Ba_-Kanon finally is learning, Aunt Akiko," Ayumu murmured, his eyes softening slowly. The name on the tablet stood quietly and the wind was heard. "We'll be gone for a while. But we'll be back for a visit."

He got on one knee and touched the name softly with his fingertips. The birds chirped nearby and flew above him quickly. Ayumu closed his eyes and listened to the rustle of the grass. Something pecked on the tree and the sounds of the faint animals were close by. Other than that, no one followed him here. That was a relief.

"I'll take care of onee-san," he stood up and brushed his long brown hair behind him. He smiled faintly and added, "Like I promised."

[…^…]

"Holy, Souji, you smell like shit!" Kanon grabbed the back of his shirt and sniffed. He looked back to her and used his elbow to get her away. The two of them were in the shed since she was preparing to pack a few blankets for their trip and also packing extra clothes for Souji to carry himself.

He gave her a weird look, "What kind of girl would go up and sniff another man's scent like that? Not very attractive, are you?"

"Go take a bath first," she pointed out the door with a childish pout. It was not about being attractive or not. She was not letting him get away with the bad smell. "Saburo should have already prepared hot water next door."

Souji moved to face her. "Didn't he say he was using that room to bathe just a moment ago?" he asked, putting one hand on his hip.

She walked around to his back and pushed him forward to the door. "You can go and use it," she told him, snickering. "The injured always go first! I'll kick Saburo out of there for you."

"Hey, wait—"

"I am not traveling with someone as stinky as you!" she shouted just as they walked out of the shed. At a table with seats, Kyou and Yumeko were just a few ways in front of them, watching them rather curiously. Kanon stopped pushing Souji by the house next to them and she punched the window open. "Saburo!"

"GAHH!" he lowered his body from the view of the window. Apparently he already undressed himself. The wooden square tub was in the center of the room and it was steaming with hot water. With watery eyes, he cried, "Kanon-hime, do you mind?!"

She frowned, "Let Souji use it first!"

Saburo did not argue. "Aw man…"

"There," Kanon turned and patted on Souji's shoulder. "Go take a good quick bath. I'll pack everything else while bringing you a new set of clothes."

With a nosy face, Souji watched her walk off back into the shed. "…How bold are you?" he wondered out loud.

"Oh," she poked her head out from the door of the shed. "You were wearing those westerner clothes before… I don't have any of those, so is a man's short kimono with pants fine with you?" Or whatever she had.

He nodded as Saburo walked out of the house with his layer of clothes on. "Yeah," he said. He paused when Kanon went back into the house. Souji felt weird when he thought, '_What is she like, a mother_?'

"Okay, Okita-san," Saburo waved to him. "The bath's all yours."

Souji smirked to him and said, "Sorry, Saburo-kun."

"Nah, I'm fine. Really."

Yumeko's face was as still as ever and watched Souji going into the house while Saburo went to close the window for him. "We're becoming a lovely family already," Yumeko talked to herself, softly clapping her hands.

Snickering, Kyou asked, "You think so? Don't lump me into your fantasy now."

She glanced to him and combed her short black hair. "Why not?" she asked quietly. "Sanosuke will be my husband, Ayumu and you will be my brothers, Saburo can be my son, and Kanon can be my daughter, who is married off to Souji's household…"

"Hah, you have quite the imagination," Kyou smirked to her. He had a short pause as she blinked at him. "…Tell me something, can Ayumu and Kanon bring back a dead body that had rotten away?"

His voice seemed softer than usual and Yumeko easily understood what he was thinking about. "You have a friend you wanted to bring back alive?" she tapped her chin when she inquired.

Kyou sneered and averted his eyes away. "…Maybe," he replied rather quietly.

"Hmm," she leaned forward to him to get a good look at his face. He slightly stared back and she tilted her head. "Sorry to disappoint, but if the body had already been dead after four or five days, there's nothing they can do to help your friend."

Her words hurt, but at least he did not bring his hopes up. "I see," he nodded away.

Yumeko leaned back and folded her arms to her chest. "Or so I would like to think," she shrugged. "Ayumu never told me much… You can go and ask him more about it if you're still interested."

Kyou chuckled, "…I guess I will."

"You followed us all the way here because you wanted to revive a friend, huh?" she thought out loud and nodded to herself. "Do you not have a home to return to?"

In his hand, Kyou touched his gun that no longer had bullets. His eyes sparked and he grinned. "It's a war out there," he said, looking at her. "There's nowhere to return to. Not until it's all over."

Just then, Saburo had walked up to them and took a seat with a sigh. "I really want a bath right now," he complained. There was silence and he blinked to Kyou and to Yumeko. "…Did I interrupt something? Why are you guys quiet all of the sudden?"

Kyou had no comment, but Yumeko gladly said with an awkward wink, "It's our secret, my dear beloved son."

"Huh?" Saburo stared at her with a puzzled face.

With a snicker, Kyou decided to play along. "But we can tell you this…" he grinned, putting his first finger to his lips. "We're going to marry your sister to Okita very soon."

"…Ha?" Saburo looked even more confused than before.

[…^…]

From another house, which was just as close by, Sanosuke walked out as he fixed his red hand strips. He was out of his westerner clothes and was now wearing a dark gray kimono with black dusty pants. "Thanks for loaning these clothes, Ayumu," he smiled to the right. He fixed the kimono to reveal his collarbone.

Ayumu was leaning back against the house and let out a sigh. "Yumeko wouldn't shut up about it anyway," he said. Leaning forward, he turned and walked around the house. Sanosuke followed him closely and the two soon reached to where Kyou and Yumeko were.

"Are the others ready?" Sanosuke asked as he looked around.

"Saburo went to the river to take a quick bath because he couldn't wait for Souji anymore," Yumeko replied flatly. "And Souji should be about done soon. He's been in there for a while now."

His eyes looked over to the house and watched Kanon was just knocking on the door. "Souji, are you done yet?" Kanon frowned, holding a change of clothes in her arms.

The door opened and Souji's head peeked out. "Yeah," he said, giving her a tired face. She handed him the clothes and he took them, closing the door shut right after.

Afterwards, Kanon hurried off into the shed and soon walked out with a medium large black bag around her shoulder. She smiled when everyone was staring at her. "I'm all packed," she waved.

"Yo, Ayumu," Kyou looked to him, standing up from the chair. When Ayumu looked at him to acknowledge him, Kyou questioned, "Will you answer me this? I was wondering even if a dead body had rotted away, could you still revive the person?"

Ayumu slowly looked away and he was quiet. "…Never tried," he replied coldly. "And I won't try it either. Our power is not for your convenience."

"Huh," Kyou chuckled softly. Ayumu was right. He should not be asking them about it for his own personal gain. What was the point to even stick with them so long? He felt he made a fool of himself in front of these humans in hopes to revive a dead human friend. "…Then I'm done here," he said, taking his leave.

Standing up, Yumeko asked, "You're not going to at least go at the same time as us?" Kyou kept walking and did not answer her. She blinked, "You mad, Kyou-nii?"

Sanosuke gave her a strange look while Ayumu seemed annoyed right away.

"Keh," Kyou glanced back and looked at them. "I'm not mad. And just so I don't leave with an bad impression, it's not like I wanted information from you guys to do anything ruthless… Sorry for disturbing all of you." Before Yumeko could think of a sarcastic remark, Kyou took a high jump and disappeared into the forest.

"…I wonder if we'll meet again," Sanosuke chuckled with a soft smile.

Saburo shortly arrived in a rush and tied his hair up. "Oh, good," he sighed in relief. "No one left without me."

"We wouldn't leave you behind," Yumeko assured him. "But Kyou did leave a few seconds ago."

"Huh?" Saburo blinked at her. "Why? We were just starting to know each other too."

"He looked mad," Yumeko flatly said with a nod.

Saburo gasped, "What happened?!"

"Nothing happened," Ayumu told him, annoyed with Yumeko's lies.

In the house Souji was in, he just finished dressing up. He wore a brown kimono with dull brown pants. Quietly touching his stomach, he could still recall the pain from that time when the men who were after Hijikata Toshizo stabbed him. '_I wonder how they're doing_,' Souji thought. He was staring into the distance until the door was kicked open.

"Hey, I was calling you," Kanon walked in.

Having his thoughts interrupted, he gave her a frown. "Who told you to come in?" he turned to face her.

Pulling out a strap of brown fabric with her right hand, Kanon flatly looked at him, "Close your eyes." There seemed to be a hint embarrassment in her tone.

Souji crossed his arms to his chest and stared at her rather suspiciously. "…What are you up to now?" he demanded. "We're in a rush, remember?"

She walked to him and took his arm. Dragging him backwards, he surprisingly fell back and landed on a chair close to the wall. "Shut up and close your eyes," she covered his eyes with her left hand, nearly just slapping him.

He grunted, removing her hand away. Closing his eyes as told, he heard her she going behind him and used the strap of fabric to cover his eyes up. "Seriously, what are you up to?" he inquired, even more suspicious of her sneaking around. "If you're going to kiss me, I rather have my eyes opened."

Shooting a glare behind his head, she ignored him and used force to tie a knot hard. He grunted and gently touched the blindfold. "Ahem… keep your head up," she walked back to face in front of him. "Don't move, okay?"

Lifting up his head, Souji sighed at her and waited. Slowly, he felt her long hair touching his thighs and arms. And then her forehead softly touched his forehead. Completely silent, feeling her breathe, he felt something warm that seemed to flow from her body. Through the blindfold and behind his eyelids, there was a definite light that was glowing. But from where? Her forehead? He wanted to see it for himself.

With her eyes being closed, Kanon felt him quietly moving around. "Hey, I thought I told you not to…" she peeked with one eye opened. Souji had lightly lowered the strap of fabric and they both looked into each other eyes. She pouted and as soon as she moved back, the light disappeared between them. "Souji!" she angrily made a fist.

He touched his forehead curiously. "What… are you doing?" he asked rather slowly. While she cursed and mumbled a bunch of words, Souji's muscles felt better than before. Or at least, back to his old strength. He stood up and stretched his arms. "Hey," he smirked to himself. His strength was back! He lightly laughed and his hand clenched into a fist. And then he looked Kanon with a somewhat hungry grin.

Pointing at him accusingly, she yelled, "How dare you remove the—"

Charging towards her, Souji was snickering. Kanon snapped and rushed back, but then she went back too hard and knocked down the unstable wall behind her. Slightly falling backwards, she glared as Souji's incoming punch almost had her face. He smirked, "Aw, I missed."

"What the hell?" Kanon cursed at him while still falling back. Her right palm landed on the ground first and she quickly kicked her feet up, striking Souji's chin. Underneath her kimono, she was wearing black tight shorts. Losing his balance with his head thrown back, he nearly tripped backwards while her feet swung in the air and then landed on the ground. "Why are you picking a fight?" she glared annoyingly. "Didn't you say you were in a hurry? Besides, your hand-to-hand combat is not your thing!"

Ayumu flattened his eyes as he just saw them breaking through the wall. "What in the world…?" he mumbled as the other three with him looked to witness the scene.

The dust of the fallen wall made Souji cough when he got himself to balance. He smiled and wiped his mouth. "Thanks for completely healing me, but," he laughed a little, enjoying himself. "I still want to teach you a lesson from those other times we fought." It was time to get his dignity back.

Kanon groaned with regret, "Oohhh, you asshole."

At his feet, there was a broken wooden stick that was with the fallen wall. It seemed the perfect size and he went to pick it up. His eyes were still on her and she dashed forward when he lowered his body to get the wood.

"Just try it then!" she exclaimed.

Making it in time, his hand gripped on the stick. Just when he swung it to her, he felt he would have had her, but then she immediately stopped. Her feet slide on the ground and she forced herself to jump away. "Haha," Souji got up, running after her.

He chased her, swinging the wooden stick from right to left. She dodged each time and they went all over the area. He thrust out and she quickly jumped to the left. His eyes watched her as his 'weapon' followed her. She kept jumping to the left to avoid him. '_Is she trying to get my blind spot_?' he smirked.

Kanon moved back when the stick almost hit her hair. "Yikes!" she rushed backwards, still able to hold her ground.

He had thought he would have gotten her there just now. "Your movements remind me of water," Souji chuckled. No matter how much he swung, she slipped away on time. And when he could have swore he had got her, no matter how much strength he used, it was not working the way he wanted. '_Maybe I got rusty from getting sick too long,_' he wondered.

"Okay, we're setting off now!" Sanosuke called over to them. He hoped to have caught their attention, but they were still at. Ayumu and Yumeko headed to the exit of the village together without worries. Sanosuke could only smile and shake his head.

Saburo sighed and blinked when Sanosuke went along with the others out of the village. "Geez," Saburo turned to look back at the duo. Souji was still trying to hit her and she was still dodging like a leaping bug. "…Kanon-hime? …Okita-san?"

The two of them ignored Saburo and stubbornly focused only on each other.

[…^…]

Time went by and the sun was setting in the horizon. Yumeko was cooking again, watching the flames steady or it would set the forest on fire. She looked to Ayumu, who was sitting across from her. They both sighed at the same time when Saburo ran pass them and going around while shouting.

"Stop it already!" Saburo begun whining. He was chasing after Kanon and Souji who ran down a small path.

Sanosuke, who was sitting next to Ayumu, smirked. "I wonder how long those two are going to flirt?" he sneered.

"They're not flirting," Ayumu rubbed his face. "They're just acting like kids."

Kanon jumped up to the tree branch and wheezed. Her eyes stared down as Souji slowly walked to the tree and his palm leaned against it. "Are you done yet?" she frowned tiredly, wiping the sweats from her forehead. They have been doing this nonstop now.

Souji panted with his eyes glaring at her, "I… don't believe… that I can never… hit you."

She laughed weakly and went to lean back against the trunk. "This is so stupid…" she said and could not stop smiling. While resting, she then realized the bag of blankets she had forgotten were back at the village. Even the extra clothes for Souji. '_Great_,' she thought with a heavy sigh.

Saburo was still running and when he was close enough, his body bumped into Souji's back. "Finally!" he let out a relief sigh. He rested his chin on Souji's shoulder. "Now, let's head back! Yumeko's food smells delicious!"

Shrugging his chin off, Souji turned around and threw the wooden stick away. "Another day then," he said, walking towards the firelight. The moon was in the sky so he could see a little on his way back.

"Wait, is that really our fire camp?" Saburo squinted his eyes. Souji stopped right in his tracks and felt the murder intent coming from the shadows. And then the sound of an arrow was released, going right towards Souji. "Watch out!" Saburo cried, tackling Souji forward to the ground.

Kanon stood up on the tree branch and leaned back on it to hide herself. Her eyes searched the dark area. '_Who did that_?' she glared, biting her lower lip.

"Ah~ahh," a young, laid back male's voice was heard from where the arrow was shot. "I missed. That's why I only use a sword."

On the ground, Souji and Saburo both looked up and remained to stay low. "Who's there?!" Souji demanded.

"Shhh!" Saburo sweat dropped.

"Souji? Is that you?" another male's voice called out.

There was complete silence and Souji recognized the tone of the voice. He got up quickly when the bushes in the front rustled. A man walked out from the shadows and his dark purple hair revealed in the moonlight. "Hajime-kun?" Souji smiled as their eyes met. But in that moment, Souji noticed something wrong in those blue eyes. They were not as sharp and relaxed as they used to be.

Within a blink, Hajime had swiftly moved forward with his katana in his left hand. Aiming the sharp blade toward Souji's heart, Souji reacted a little too late as his mind was still frozen from Hajime's soulless stare.

"Souji!" Kanon shouted angrily.

He snapped his eyes open as Kanon fell from above. Her right foot hit the back of Hajime's katana and the tip of it directly hit the ground instead of Souji's heart. Hajime's grip was still on his katana, but his body was forced to lower down along with the katana. He looked up at to Kanon emotionlessly, who just jumped in midair and kicked Hajime's head. His hand parted with the katana and his body flew off and hit the tree a few years away.

Kanon landed on her feet and looked at Souji. He shook his head and she glared, "Get yourself together!"

With a grunt, Souji looked over to Hajime, who had stood up. Before asking a question, Kanon had grabbed the katana from the ground and she charged with a thrust over to the motionless Hajime. "WAIT, KANON!" Souji ran after her with his hand reaching out.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 6**

"WAIT, KANON!" Souji ran after her with his hand reaching out.

When he called her name, she felt the chills going down her spine. She slowed down her speed and just then, Hajime rushed forward as he closely dodged her strike and the sound of the katana rung next to his ear. His hand hit her wrist and knocked the katana out of her hand. She winced and stumbled forward at the same time Hajime got his katana back.

"Get away from here."

Kanon heard his whisper of warning as her palm just hit the ground. With a glare, she quickly moved and used her left foot to hit Hajime's stomach when he was about to raise his katana to her.

While the impact pushed Hajime back, Souji quickly grabbed him securely from behind and was careful with the katana that waved around. Kanon turned around sharply and watched the two men struggled against one another. "Hajime-kun? What's wrong?" Souji grunted, trying to make sense of his friend's action.

Hajime said nothing and his eyes narrowed to Souji's puzzled gaze.

The sound of another sword was heard. A second man dashed out from the shadows with a long thin sword in his right hand and he launched it out in the direction of Souji's head. It was then Saburo appeared and blocked the sword with his arm with the sound of metal hitting each other.

"Oh?" the second man smirked. He was dressed mostly in black with a few red.

Saburo glared and studied the man closely. His purple hair was semi-long and a black eye patch covered his right eye, while the other eye was revealed as a red pupil color. "Who are you?" Saburo inquired, moving forward quickly to push the sword from pointing at anyone.

The purple haired guy smirked as the two were face-to-face. The sword was pushed close against his left shoulder. His eyes looked down to Saburo's arm, remembering the sound of a metal. His blade had made a cut in Saburo's sleeve, leaving an opening on his skin. But there was something on Saburo's skin. Just underneath the blade, there was scarlet and solid layer that was under the sleeve. "Mah, you can call me Ren," the purple haired happily answered to him, rather laidback.

"What are you doing, attacking us like this?" Saburo demanded with a fierce look.

Kanon glared over to the man named Ren and he chuckled to Saburo. "We're looking for a certain human clan around these parts of the land," Ren gladly explained. He used his strength and slightly pushed Saburo's arm back. Saburo grumbled at him and tried to hold his ground. "That clan is thought to be carry the cursed Oni blood… ever heard of it?" Ren's eyes looked back to Kanon.

Both Saburo and Kanon snapped their eyes to the purple haired man.

'_Cursed Oni blood_?' Souji's eyes shifted to the man Saburo was holding back.

Ren chuckled when he read Kanon's face. "So you have heard of it?" he smirked. With one more push, Saburo also pushed back and his arm moved the blade away as he leaped back. But then Saburo bumped into Souji, who was still holding Hajime back and the three of them fell on the ground at the same time.

"Saburo!" Kanon frowned, hurrying forward. Ren saw her coming and he slashed out to her, however she dodged with a skip to his right and she kicked the back of his right knee.

He fell on his knees and looked over his shoulder. She started to kick again, but he lowered his body forward and she missed. Within that instant, he quickly turned around and moved up close to her face. "Sorry about this," he told her. He punched into her stomach and she gasped. Losing conscious, she fell into his left arm and he got up and looked over to Hajime.

Hajime had just taken his blade to stab Saburo's head on the ground, who barely dodged and the blade hit the dirt instead. Souji grabbed for the handle of the katana and struggled with Hajime. "Hey, what's wrong with you, Hajime-kun?!" Souji demanded with a glare.

His eyes were still empty and he did not make eye contact. "Hajime~ I'm taking this girl away first," Ren called cheerfully.

At the same time Hajime nodded, Souji glared over to Ren. The man with purple hair took a jump and quickly disappeared into the shadows. Saburo soon ran after them. "Kanon-hime!" Saburo exclaimed.

"Wait!" Souji shouted angrily.

Hajime used his shoulder to push Souji out of the way. Souji fell, but rushed to get up. Then the katana set down to his neck and Souji glared into Hajime's cold eyes. "Souji," he first said.

"Hajime-kun!" Souji gritted his teeth. The cold edge slightly dug down his skin. "Why are you doing this? Who is he? Why did he take Kanon?"

There was a pause and Hajime seemed to have registered Souji's words into his head. "She's after the clan who can revive her brother," Souji explained, still holding his blade to Souji's neck. "Since that girl and that boy appeared to know something, she was taken away to force the answer out of her."

Souji glared and had no idea what he was talking about. "What do you mean?" he demanded, getting irritated.

The eyes in Hajime trembled. His hand shook and he bit his lower lip. "No… I can't kill him," he murmured. Souji's glare lightened up and he studied Hajime's face. "He's… my friend…!"

"Haji—"

Someone knocked Hajime from behind the neck and Souji caught Hajime's falling body. Looking up, Souji saw Ayumu as he looked around. "What happened?" Ayumu glared down to Souji with his cool eyes. There was no sign of Kanon or Saburo anywhere.

"A man named Ren took Kanon away," Souji replied fast, putting the unconscious Hajime's arm around his neck and his hand around Hajime's waist. "And Saburo-kun went after them."

Ayumu grunted and looked around again. There was a fire camp nearby, but he doubt the enemy would be over there. "What did they say?" he inquired.

"He was asking about a human clan who had the cursed Oni blood in them…" Souji informed. Ayumu was quiet, but Souj felt his anger rising. "Ayumu-kun… was he talking about you and Kanon?" It fit rather perfectly, but Souji was just assuming.

"That's none of your business," Ayumu hissed to him. Souji glared at him and did not seem satisfied.

Just then, Yumeko and Sanosuke arrived to the scene. Sanosuke's mouth dropped when he saw whom Souji was carrying. "Hajime?!" Sanosuke rushed right over. "Souji, What happened? How did Hajime get here?!"

"Why are you alone?" Yumeko questioned too.

[…^…]

It was a pretty long chase and Saburo was not planning on losing Kanon to some man with an eye patch. The clouds in the sky shortly covered the moon, but Saburo followed the noises and continue to keep in pursuit. "Kanon-hime!" he shouted after them. "If you can hear me, wake up!"

Ren smirked, running on his feet. "What a persistent little boy," he snickered. "Well… better than having to carry arrows and a bow."

"Kanon-hime!" he called again. As soon as the clouds in the sky cleared, Saburo increased his speed. Just a moment later, over the trees, Kanon's body was thrown into the air. "Kanon-hime!" he hurried. Jumping on the tree branches, he leaped over the trees and his arms reached out to catch her. Just about a couple of yards from catching her, Saburo felt Ren's presence right behind him.

A sword stabbed into his chest. Blood ran down Saburo's mouth and he glared at the man behind him. "Sorry," Ren said with a soft chuckle. With ease, Ren swing his blade to throw Saburo to the ground as the blade slide out of his body. Catching Kanon with his one arm, Ren landed on a tree branch and dashed off while Saburo landed loudly.

On the ground, Saburo moaned and closed his eyes. '_Gotta seal it up_,' he thought with sweats coming down his face. Slowly, his blood hardened and covered the wound to stop the bleeding. It was not a healing ability, so his guts were still hurting. "Damn… Kanon-hime," he looked around, his vision blurring back and forth. '_I can't be away from her_…'

He fell back against the tree and waited for a moment to catch his breathe. Hearing familiar voices calling out, he turned to follow the echoes. It was not long when he saw Ayumu running from afar. "Ayumu," Saburo smiled weakly.

Within range now, Ayumu slowed a bit. "Where's Kanon?" he questioned loudly. Ashamed, Saburo closed his eyes and continued to lean against the tree. Ayumu grunted and approached him to take his arm. "Come on, there's no time to be resting. We have to find her before whoever is it take her too far."

"Ah, yeah," Saburo nodded, holding in the pain. "But Okita-san needs to catch up too… we can't go far without him either."

Ayumu glared to the side and sighed. "Crap, I forgot about him," he grumbled, now looking back where he came from. To his surprised, he saw the others catching up. "Good…" Ayumu slowed his breathing. At least they were not separated from each other. Then something reminded him and he hurried towards Sanosuke.

"…Eh?" Saburo blinked, his hand holding his stomach in pain. He wondered what Ayumu was going to do now.

"Hey, Sano," Ayumu called.

Sanosuke was carrying Hajime on his back while Souji was running beside them. Yumeko was ahead of the men. After a moment of meeting up with one another, Yumeko slowed her pace when Ayumu walked pass her. Sanosuke and Souji stopped and waited for what Ayumu wanted to say since he seemed to have something in mind. "Yeah?" Sanosuke asked, keeping Hajime on his back.

Walking around Sanosuke, Ayumu studied him from up to bottom. "Good," he mumbled, going to stand in front of him.

"Were you checking me out?" Sanosuke gave him a weird look, but smiled a bit.

"Sano, there's one thing you should know," Ayumu quickly said. Then he looked at Souji, "You too. Since you're here." Both Souji and Sanosuke only returned him with looks of confusion. "I'll make this simple and brief. When Kanon and I save people, they gain extra minimal power. Sanosuke, it appears yours can detect others and pinpoint their positions within limited range. Try to see if you can track Kanon down. Now."

"Whoa, what?" Sanosuke stared at him with disbelieves. This was never mentioned before. Maybe Ayumu just forgot to mention. That or either Ayumu did not want them to know about it. No wonder Ayumu's clan would be chased after because of the strange ability it gave them.

Souji narrowed his eyes to Ayumu, "And you didn't tell us this sooner?"

"Opps," Yumeko scratched her cheeks dryly. "Sorry. For me, it just slipped my mind."

"Who cares," Ayumu gave Souji a light glare. Souji glared back at him while Ayumu helped Hajime down from Sanosuke's back. "Please, concentrate and find my sister. I can't let her go too far."

"I'll… give it a shot," Sanosuke nodded, though he felt unconfident. Souji helped Ayumu with Hajime, leaning the still body down and back against the tree. Sanosuke took a deep breath and wondered where to even start. Ever since he was alive again, he never felt any different. Let alone think he gained some kind of weird power.

He realized Yumeko walked up to him and she only stared at him. He blinked and she tapped her head twice. "It's in there somewhere," she told him, wanting to help him find his power. "It's not that hard and you'll get use to it very fast."

Sanosuke closed his eyes with a smile. He appreciated her encouragement. "Thanks," he said, slightly lowering his head.

"First, think about where to find Kanon," Yumeko whispered, keeping her distance from him. Sanosuke nodded. "Even if you only know her a little, but the feel of her presence should be enough. Her life may be in danger any time soon, so you have to find her as soon as possible." Sanosuke nodded and became very quiet.

Souji was kneeling on the ground by Hajime and he looked up to Ayumu. "…What kind of power did I get?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know," Ayumu crossed his arms, not making eye contact. "I didn't revive you."

'_So… if Kanon healed me, she must know_?' Souji thought to himself, looking away. Their heritage was really strange. If they did not mention about the extra power to them, could they also be hiding something else? Souji was starting to get the feeling and glanced to Ayumu at the corner of his eyes. Ayumu was silent and patiently waited for Sanosuke. '…_What else are they hiding from us?_' Souji asked himself.

And what of the clan was thought to carry the cursed Oni blood?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 7**

On the big road, Kyou was by sitting himself on the dry grass and was thinking about his next move. He has been sitting there for a while now. Lifting his eyes from the ground, he became aware that he had not heard from Kazama Chikage or Amagiri Kyuuju for a long time. He wondered how they were holding up. Knowing them, he smirked and could only assumed Kazama Chikage was after Hijikata Toshizo and Yukimura Chizuru while Amagiri Kyuuju was living in peace. Or anything else close to that.

Hearing running footsteps, Kyou stood up right away and his head turned to the forest where the noise was coming from. Something felt odd about the coming presence. Silently and quickly moving off to hide, he disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

From the forest, Ren jogged right out and slowed down when Kanon begun coughed. "Oh?" he smirked, still holding her over his shoulder. "That was fast. What woke you up, little girl?"

She coughed again and Ren heard the sound of her throwing up. He lowered his body to put her down on the road and saw the blood on her lips. "Damn… how far did you take me?" she glared into his eyes, holding her aching chest and lying on her back. Her strength weakened and she knew she would not be able to fight back the stranger with the black eye patch.

Curious, Ren kept his knees bent and studied her. "What's wrong?" he asked rather softly. Her body begun to sweat and tears of pain were in her eyes. Kanon could not answer him and Ren sighed with pity. Ren rubbed his eye under the eye patch when it got itchy. "Hey, Haru… What are your orders now?" he said, as if talking to himself.

A young female's voice echoed in his head, "_Bring her to me_."

His hands moved on his own and he picked Kanon up over his shoulders again. It would appear Kanon had just fallen unconscious. "But I'm worried," he said with a carefree smile. "Have some pity on the poor girl, will you?" His feet begun to take a few steps forward. "Just how long do you plan on using your mind controlling power anyway?" The voice did not respond and Ren just smirked to himself.

From the trees, Kyou peeked out and narrowed his eyes. '_What is he doing with Kanon_?' he thought, breathing quietly. And did that guy said _mind_ control? What was going on here? Kyou planned on staying close and follow them to see what was going on, but then he noticed the man carrying Kanon was waving down the road to greet someone. Kyou's eyes gazed in the horizon and with shock, he saw it was Amagiri Kyuuju who the eye patched man was waving at. '…_Amagiri_?' Kyou lightly glared. '_What in the world is going on_?"

Just how long did Kyou missed out on the news of the outside world?

[…^…]

Through the forest trees, Sanosuke was leading the group to find Kanon. His eyes were glowing a pale golden light and he could see a white light that resembled a person's soul. Grasping that it belonged to Kanon, he was only focusing on chasing after it before the light disappeared from sight.

"Do you think Harada-san found Kanon-hime?" Saburo asked Ayumu. He was still holding onto the wound where he was stabbed. Despite his guts were hurting, Saburo was doing his best to not fall behind with the group.

Ayumu narrowed his eyes, jumping the root of a tree. "I will just have to believe Sano caught sight of her," Ayumu replied quietly.

Behind them, Yumeko was running alongside with Souji, who was carrying the sleeping Hajime on his back. She glanced to Souji, who looked worried for multiple reasons. Yumeko then inquired, "So this man is a friend of you and Sanosuke's?" she queried. "Why did he attack you guys then? Even Kanon was kidnapped."

"I don't know," Souji frowned. "Hajime-kun would never do anything like this… and there was something strange about him."

She blinked, "What is it?"

The two of them ran a bit faster and Souji grunted. "It's like… Hajime-kun was talking to someone," he said. "But I didn't hear anything… And it's like… someone was forcing him to kill me."

Yumeko glanced away and thought for a moment. "I just had a bad feeling," she said loudly. Ayumu looked back and had no comment. "So this Ren guy was asking for the clan who could revive people. And Hajime-kun seemed to be under someone's control? Sounds a bit fishy, don't you think?"

Ayumu looked back to the front and Sanosuke slightly made a turn. "Mind control," Ayumu uttered.

"What?" Saburo's eyes popped open. "How is that even possible?"

"Think about it," Yumeko lifted a finger up, raising an eyebrow. "Someone who knows about the forbidden clan… and might have mind controlling power, right?"

With a glare, Ayumu growled, "Someone from our clan must have saved that person who now took Kanon away."

Souji's eyes widened a bit. It made sense, even if there was no proof.

"Oh, then maybe that's why the eye patched man was apologizing to me!" Saburo realized, looking back to the others behind him. "But it sounded like he was still himself. Maybe it's not a completely mind controlling power?"

"We'll just have to see," Yumeko told him. "Though, it's still highly possible."

"Anything is possible," Ayumu said, lowering his voice. "Our cursed clan are full of possibilities… that was why the elders isolated all of us from the world."

Souji bit his lip and tried to pick up his pace. '_Kanon… Hajime-kun_,' he worried.

Just a second after, Yumeko wondered out loud, "So if Hajime wakes up, do you think he'll attack us?"

Saburo chuckled uneasily, "Maybe. I hope he doesn't."

"Don't worry," Souji smirked a bit. "I'll make sure Hajime-kun doesn't do anything he would regret." Souji would be there to stop him no matter what.

The light belonging to Kanon had ceased going further, Sanosuke saw. The group was now running through an opened area were there were less trees around. But then Sanosuke immediately noticed another presence that his eyes picked up just ahead. And that person was much closer than he thought. Sanosuke did not realize it for he was too focused on Kanon's presence. "Everyone, wait!" Sanosuke quickly stopped in his tracks.

On his cry of signal, they all slow down and their feet sliding against the ground. All of the sudden, a large rope net flipped from the ground and carried everyone into the air. It was then Yumeko threw a knife from her sleeves and it flew, cutting a couple of ropes that almost trapped them. Their bodies slammed together when the rope net took them into the air and thanks to Yumeko's quick move, the net loosened up right after.

Everybody landed on the ground. "Hold on," Sanosuke glared. He saw tiny white powders falling from above.

Ayumu lifted his chin up and noticed the white powders were from the net. He covered his mouth and nose and gestured, "Don't sniff these stuff in!" His warning was too late though. Saburo lost consciousness and fell over on his face.

Souji's eyes grew weary and he fell on one knee while Hajime's body dropped to the side. "Sleeping… powder?" Souji struggled to keep his eyes opened. Yumeko and Sanosuke had already fallen over and Souji was the next one to go with his body falling forward.

"Damn…" Ayumu glared, trying to get his body to listen to him. A figure of a man had walked toward him, but then Ayumu's vision blurred and his eyes closed. He collapsed on his side, helpless and defenseless.

[…^…]

The wind felt cold. Her wrists were hurting. The jingle of the chains was hard when her conscious was returning. Kanon knew right away she must be tied up. The moment she forced to open her sleepy eyes, her vision was dark for a few seconds. In her surroundings, it appeared she was facing a large tent that stood some yards away from where she was. Making sense of what was behind her, it was a tree. There were a few fire torches lit around circularly around the area.

As soon as her vision became clear, over to her left, she saw her tied-up friends were all sitting together with their legs spread out. Black chains were wrapped around their chest and their arms behind them. They seemed to be sleeping and were unaware. Kanon could only see the faces of Ayumu, who was between Sansouke and Saburo. The back of the heads of Souji and Yumeko limped.

"Ayumu?" Kanon called, trying to get her voice loud and clear. Her wrist turned and twisted in the chains, but she was only pinching her skin in the process. She then noticed Saburo's stomach had blood, which was slowly bleeding out. "Saburo!" she exclaimed. She knew when he was unconscious; his power would not be able to hold to keep his wound closed.

From the tent, Ren walked right out. He yawned with a stretch of his arms. "Oh, she's awake," Ren rubbed the back of his head tiredly. His turned looked over his right shoulder causally, "Hey, she's awake. Let's get this cruelty over with."

Kanon glared and another man walked out of the tent. He was tall with ruffled silver hair and silver eyes. The way he dressed was different, like a foreigner. A black jacket with fur, a black u-neck underneath, black pants, and black boots. In his right hand, he carried a straight thin sword. He was holding it upside down, having the blade up next to his arm. His eyes were calm and collective when he met Kanon's angry gaze.

She uttered, "Why—"

"Wake them up, Ren," the silver haired man interrupted, gesturing with his arm. His voice was deep and quiet.

Ren blinked and crossed his arms to his chest. Turning to face the silver haired man, he inquired, "Now Haru doesn't want us to take this girl to her?"

"She rather kept her face unknown to these people," the tall man said, still staring at Kanon. "Did you not hear Haru giving out the order moments ago?"

"Well, Yuma, Haru likes talking to you more," Ren shrugged with a snicker. "How was I supposed to know?"

Kanon glared as soon as Ren walked off over to her friends. "Wait, what are you guys going to do to them?" she demanded, struggling with the chains again. "How did you even catch them? It's just the two of you!"

"They simply fell into my trap I set up," Yuma told her. His eyes were never cold, only complete quietness. "Haru said she remembered that the clan had an issue about being away from others and that they may die if they were too far apart."

"Sounds like this _Haru_ knows a lot," Kanon grumbled under her breath. And the person named Haru knew Kanon would die? That was already too much information for an outsider.

"I apologize for any offensive that will be made," Yuma slightly bowed with his eyes closed. Keeping his body lowed, he slowly opened his eyes and paused. "…This won't be pretty."

Ren had grabbed a bucket of water from the side of the tent and directly threw it over the group of people. Being the first one to yell, Saburo gasped when the cold water touched his open flesh wound. Everyone else woke up and started to open their eyes. Ren threw the bucket away and dusted his hands, "There we go."

"Damn," Sanosuke grunted, glaring over to Ren.

While Souji and Yumeko both looked back to see where they were, Ayumu saw Kanon tied up on a tree and her feet barely on the ground. Afterwards, Ayumu glared to Ren and Yuma who now stood together. '_This doesn't look good_,' Ayumu thought bitterly.

Souji kept his head turned, '_Where's Hajime-kun_?'

At the same time as Saburo closed up his wound once again, he felt awfully faint. He must have lost a lot of blood and his fingers and feet felt numb. His eyes widened when Yuma walked over to them. "H-Hey," Saburo weakly glared, struggling with the chains. "It's not nice to have hostages."

"Well now…" Yuma's eyes gazed over to them. He ignored Saburo's remark and studied everyone closely.

"Don't do anything to them!" Kanon shouted, kicking her feet against the tree.

Yuma's eyes slowly glanced back to her. And then he wondered, "Who is the most important person to you?"

Kanon glared and gritted her teeth. She only kept her eyes on the man and tried to avoid looking at the others. "That's playing dirty," she murmured angrily.

Walking around the group, Yuma took his time to look at their expressions. He stared at Sanosuke first. In Sanosuke's eyes, he wanted to do something and looked like he would jump at any minute. Yuma looked to Yumeko, whose eyes were quiet with rage. Next to her was Souji, who glared deadly but it was unable to faze Yuma. Now over to Saburo, his face was simply pale, but he put up a brave front. Yuma's lips moved, "You."

Slightly wincing, Ren looked away when Yuma had stabbed into Ayumu's left thigh and Ayumu held in a grunt. Kanon opened her mouth. "No, stop!" Kanon cried, struggling in the steel chains. "Don't!"

Being next to Ayumu, both Saburo and Sanosuke looked at him with distress, "Ayumu!"

Keeping his mouth shut, Ayumu bit on his tongue. The blade remained in his thigh and the blood leaked out. Yuma looked back to Kanon, who struggled harder to free herself. "First question," he slowly said. "Where is the Time Healer?"

"She's long dead," Kanon answered quickly. Her concerned eyes were twitching and only stayed to stare at Ayumu's pained face.

"Did she have any descendants?" Yuma inquired further.

Kanon replied without holding herself back, "They're all dead."

Souji breathed quietly and wondered what he could do at a time like this. If only he knew what kind of power he had, he might be able to do something. Unless it was not an aggressive power like Sanosuke's, then there was nothing Souji could do. '_But there was to be something_,' Souji told himself, rushing his thoughts.

Taking the blade, Yuma took it out of Ayumu's thigh and then stabbed it under his left kneecap. Ayumu groaned, keeping his voice in and Kanon banged her arms against the tree madly, itching to protect him. Ayumu looked to Kanon, who was trying hard not to cry. '_Don't tell them… a single thing_,' he wanted to tell her. He could only hope she heard him.

"Where are the descendants?" Yuma questioned again, his eyes down to Ayumu. He could tell there was something they were hiding now. The way Ayumu looked to Kanon easily gave it away.

"I already told you," Kanon firmly said.

'_Kill him_,' a voice ordered in Yuma's mind. Yuma grunted and simply twisted the blade slowly. The blade moved in Ayumu's flesh and Ayumu could only continued to hold in the pain.

"Stop it!" Yumeko demanded, glaring over to Yuma. Sanosuke looked to her as her arm moved against his. "Stop hurting him!" Yumeko warned, her voice becoming deep.

"Yeah!" Saburo spit a bit.

Souji sneered, "You won't get any answers by killing any of us. Do you not know that?"

Watching Yuma's still movements, Ren heard the tent and looked back. Hajime had just walked out of from the tent and his eyes glanced to Ren quietly. "Good to see you moving," Ren smiled with a chuckle.

Hajime fixed his two katanas in place and stood by his side. He heard his friends calling his name, but Hajime ignored them. There was nothing to say or anything he could do to help them. So he simply remained silent.

"Hajime, help us!" Sanosuke glared over to him. "We know you're stronger than some mind controlling power!"

"Oh?" Ren smirked. "You guys already figured us out?"

'_Mind control_?' Kanon thought to herself. What a cheating power! She would never have guessed. '_So there's someone else behind this_?' Was it the same person the two men mentioned? Haru? If these guys were not as bad, then all she needed to do was help them break free from the mind control. But how? Was there any way to break it?

"Hajime-kun!" Souji shouted over to him.

Hajime sighed and closed his eyes. "…Sorry," he told them. Both Souji and Sanosuke were now quiet and stared at Hajime's emptied face.

Ayumu hissed when Yuma took out the blade again. "Where are the descendants?" Yuma questioned one more time, watching Ayumu suspiciously. The sharp edge touched Ayumu's left cheek and Yuma slightly sliced a small layer of his skin. The blood dripped down and Ayumu glared at him. "Unless you want me to torture her next," Yuma said.

"Don't you dare!" Ayumu growled at him, his eyes turning cold and thirsty for blood.

"Torturing you alone should be sufficient," Yuma said. The look on Yuma's face was still the same. Simply calm and cool minded. He actually would not dare himself to torture a woman. "After all, she is more willingly to break easier than you."

When Yuma drew his blade back to aim for Ayumu's shoulder, Kanon confessed with her eyes shut, "It's me! I'm the daughter of the Time Healer!"

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for the load of OCs here! I needed someone for this part. And I assure you; I will hold myself back a bit more as the story progresses!

Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 8**

When Yuma drew his blade back to aim for Ayumu's shoulder, Kanon confessed with her eyes shut, "It's me! I'm the Time Healer's daughter!"

Ayumu snapped his eyes angrily at her, "Kanon!"

"Kanon-hime?!" Saburo was shocked.

Souji's eyes looked around for any signs of help. '_What is a Time Healer_?' he asked himself. '_But I have to think of an escape for everyone! Come on, think_!' Should he turn into a Rasetsu? Will it be enough? But what if Yuma noticed him and attack him first? Should he just take the risk, even if he did not like Ayumu as much?

Noticing Souji's gestures next to her, Yumeko gently nudged Sanosuke and kept it quiet. Sanosuke did not move his eyes, but got a feeling she was telling something. Slightly looking away from Yuma, Sanosuke's eyes dimly glowed a golden light. It was then he noticed a presence. '…_It's Shiranui_,' Sanosuke's eyes returned to normal, his mouth dropping open. Just beyond the trees, Sanosuke caught sight of Kyou's head behind the leaves.

Kyou narrowed his eyes and knew Sanosuke had sensed him. '_Maybe there's something we can do_,' he breathed quietly. But without his bullets, he was completely useless himself. He smirked, '_But I'm still an Oni_." So there must be another way to do this.

Yuma turned around to Kanon and she was sweating with nervousness. "You're the descendant?" he asked. She nodded firmly and he blinked slowly. "Then we'll take you away first. I would have to apologize again because you may not come back alive."

"Then take me instead!" Ayumu said, struggling through the chains. "I have a stronger healing power than my sister, so take me!"

'_Ayumu and Kanon are siblings_?" Souji asked himself. He would have never guessed.

Yuma's blade quickly pointed to Ayumu's face to shut him up. Kanon then shouted, "No, I'm stronger than Ayumu! Aunt Akiko sealed my full potential because I couldn't control it! If you want to revive a rotting body, then you need me!"

"Shut up, Kanon!" Ayumu shot her a death glare. How dare she revealed the secret their aunt tried to cover. Before Kanon could express a single word, Ayumu raged, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

She glared right back, "No, you shut up!" Tears filled her eyes when she shut them closed. '_I don't want to lose you_!' Ayumu glared at the sight of his sister crying in front of everyone and all of them were looking at Kanon and Ayumu back and forth.

A voice was being recalled in Ayumu's memories, '_Remember, Ayumu. You name means Walking Dream. You must never activate what you inherited from your father. Even if you have both of your parents' powers, though not as strong, you're only allowed to use your mother's if you need or want to. Okay?_'

'_Aunt Akiko_!' Ayumu cried out in his mind, his long bangs covering his eyes as he lowered his head. "I won't let them take Kanon," he murmured angrily as his nails dug into his palms.

"We'll take the both of you," Yuma declared with no haste, holding his blade up against his arm again.

Just right around then, Kyou had appeared above Kanon. He had been moving around over to her for a short while. Reaching out, Kyou pulled the chains off and freed her. Within that second, Hajime's katana was quickly drawn out and he thrust toward Kyou. But after Kanon got her footing, she quickly rushed forward to Hajime despite her legs wobbled a bit.

While Kanon blindly tackled Hajime down to the ground, Yumeko closed her eyes. '_Steady_,' she told herself. She was scared of using her power, but she had to use it now. It was the perfect timing. Her hands emitted heat and sparks of flames appeared on chain near her shoulder next to Sanosuke's. The flame touched the chains as well as melting them.

"Ow," Sanosuke winced by a sudden heat. The chains were soon loosened and he quickly smiled. "Alright!" Either it was a miracle or someone else had a trick up their sleeves. He did not notice it was Yumeko's doing because he was too busy tracking Kyou's whereabouts.

Everyone started to get up. Saburo saw Yuma slashing out to Ayumu first. When Saburo was going to move in front of Ayumu, Saburo was only pushed back by Ayumu and Yuma's sword sliced across from Ayumu's right belly and up over his heart. Blood splattered into the air and Saburo cried, "Ayumu!"

Struggling with each other, Hajime was going to force Kanon off of him, but she grabbed his shirt and slammed her forehead against his own. Widening his eyes, his hand lost its grip on the katana as a white glow appeared from her body and soon down to both of their whole bodies. She was glaring and was uncertain of her own action. Staring into her eyes, Hajime then held his katana tighter as she pulled away and the light fading away.

Before Yuma could make another move, Yumeko quickly dashed and threw a punch to his right. Yuma blocked her with his arm with ease and his eyes noticed Sanosuke charging forward as well. '_This doesn't look good, Haru_,' Yuma suddenly lost interest in fighting back.

'_Then kill whoever gets in the way_!' she scolded, getting upset. '_Or do I have to really make you_?'

'_If I die, then I'll finally be free of your control_,' Yuma told her as soon as Sanosuke landed his fist into left cheek. Yuma's body fell off a bit and Yumeko let a knife fall down from her sleeves into her hands.

"Yuma?!" Ren glared back, but then Kyou came at him with his gun. His blade bit blocked the gun, making a mark on it as they both pushed at each other. "You're in the way," Ren grunted, feeling desperate.

"Your opponent is me," Kyou merely smirked. Ren glared, his physical power suddenly rose and slightly pushed Kyou's gun further. '_Where is he getting this strength_?' Kyou snickered, looking at Ren straight in the eye.

Yumeko was only just a yard from striking her knife into Yuma, who was just sitting up. But all of the sudden, Hajime swiftly appeared as if from nowhere and stopped her knife with his katana. She glared at him and Hajime's eyes relaxed to her. "Don't kill him," Hajime said quietly, but strongly. Though it seemed to anger Yumeko because Hajime stopped her.

'_Get out of there for now_,' Haru's voice told Yuma and Ren mentally.

The silver head man got up on his feet and quickly retreated back. Ren pushed Kyou roughly and Kyou lost a bit of his balance. Out of Ren's pouch from his belt on the right, he took out a small round, black object. He smiled as he threw it in the air, and without delay, he cut it open with his sword. Smokes burst out upon the slash of the blade and Kyou backed away as he was covered up in them.

Meanwhile, Souji was laying the unconscious Ayumu on the ground and Saburo was weakening from his wound. The scentless smokes expanded and blocked their view on everyone else. "Sano-san?!" Souji called out first.

Emerging from the smokes, Kanon appeared and ran toward them. Focusing on Ayumu's still body, she ran to him, slamming her knees beside him. "Ayumu!" she cried, horrified at his large wound. She shook his shoulder and held back tears. "Ayumu! Can you hear me?!"

Across from her, Souji put his hand on her shoulder. "Relax," he said. "Can't you heal him?"

"Their clansmen can heal the others," Saburo groaned and sat down next to him. While Souji looked at Saburo's face, he continued explaining, "They can heal and save anyone... but not themselves. They… can't save themselves."

'_They can't save themselves_?' Souji gradually gazed to Ayumu and Kanon.

"Ayumu!" Kanon shouted loudly, her eyes glaring. She shook him furiously, but then Souji slightly pushed her back. "Ayumu!"

"Kanon, we should stop his bleeding first," Souji told her with a hard look. She gazed at him as if she just realized it and nodded.

While they were busy, Yumeko fought off Hajime and they both kept their distances. Before she made a move, Sanosuke grabbed her wrist with the knife and pulled her back. "Wait, stop!" Sanosuke hurried to pull her off balance. She listened and started to cool her mind. Sanosuke directed his attention to Hajime, who drew his katana back into his sheath. His eyes seemed to smile and there was light in them. "Hajime?" Sanosuke smiled, feeling safe around the purple haired friend.

"Yes," Hajime lightly nodded once to him.

Sanosuke let Yumeko go and walked through the smokes and patted on Hajime's shoulder. "It's good to have you back!" Sanosuke grinned happily. "How did you do it?"

Hajime glanced around. "Perhaps it had something to do with Kanon-san," he recalled. It felt strange when she put her face close to him. That was as close as any other girl had gotten with him. She was a very daring young girl. '_And she saved me_,' Hajime was thankful and was trying to see where the others were.

Frowning, Yumeko ignored their reunion and sharply turned around. '_Ayumu_,' she hurried off through the smokes. She actually wanted to kill Yuma, but then Hajime protected him with his own free will. She knew Yuma was just a victim, but she could not forgive Yuma for torturing Ayumu. Mind controlled or not. It was not long when Yumeko heard Kanon calling Saburo's name and a loud thud was heard to the right. Yumeko followed the voices and soon found them together. Kanon had just started to heal Saburo and Souji was tending to Ayumu's wounds.

The light between Kanon and Saburo went away and he smiled brightly. "Thank you, Kanon-hime!" he wiped his sweat on his chin. Kanon just nodded and still looked worried. "We should find shelter before they strike again."

"Y-Yeah," Kanon nodded, looking over to Ayumu sadly. Yumeko walked to Ayumu's side and sat next to him with an upset expression on her face. It sounded like Kyou met up with Hajime and Sansosuke and they were making their way through the smokes that were now vanishing. '_We should find Ayumu a doctor_,' Kanon thought to herself. But there was no village or town nearby. What would they do now?

Kyou turned his head away from Hajime and Sanosuke. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered, '_I saw Amagiri with that man named Ren before… but where is he_?'

[…^…]

Over the plain field of tall grass, Yuma and Ren were walking together and felt no danger around them. Ren glanced to Yuma quietly and blinked at the bruise on his left cheek. "You… okay there, buddy?" Ren smirked.

"I'll be fine," Yuma replied, keeping his eyes forward. This was the first time they talked since they retreated and Yuma was glad Ren did not feel awkward.

Ren chuckled and stretched his arms. Locking his hands together behind his head, he stared at the sky. "Too bad Hajime seemed to have broke away from Haru's control," he softly said. "I wonder how he did it?"

'_There's no way I'm losing the two of you_,' Haru's voice said coldly.

"Yeah, yeah," Ren snorted. It was not like they could ask for help from Hajime. Haru would only force them to leave the place as soon as possible. "But really, I wonder what happened?"

The answer was unknown to Yuma too. He was too busy handling the others. But his thoughts lead to the daughter of the Time Healer. '_Maybe she had something to do with it_,' Yuma was thinking to himself without blinking.

'_Even if you figured it out, Yuma-san, I won't let it happen the second time_,' Haru warned. Yuma ignored her and let the thought slide. She snickered and his head slightly ached. '_If I had brain washing power, I would totally use it on all of you_.' Her soft laughter continued and Yuma frowned.

Walking up the hill, Ren plugged his ears, but it did not help stop her laughter. "Shut up, Haru," he sighed with annoyance. "You're never this talkative."

After another moment of laughter, Haru happily sighed. '_All right, for now, meet up with Kyuuju-san_,' she told them. Yuma and Ren glanced rather curiously at each other. '_I'll think up another plan to get my hands on the power of the Time Healer_.' She would not rest until she did.

"Yes, ma'am," Ren closed his eyes, stretching again.

Yuma gripped on the handle of his sword and narrowed his eyes. "As you wish, Haru," he murmured unwillingly.

* * *

**Author's note**: "Ayu" means "step/walk" and "mu" means "dream/vision" so I decided to translate it as _Walking Dream_.

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 9**

In the early morning, the sun had yet to peek from the horizon. Everyone was resting for the moment. A moment to catch their breathes. Souji was sleeping with his back lean against an old cabin, which they found after they stopped Ayumu's bleeding. The door to the cabin was on his right. And on the left of the door, Saburo was lying on his left side, arms wrapped around his body to keep himself warm, and his back touching the cabin. On the roof, Kyou did not sleep a wink and was just sitting up there even though Hajime and Sanosuke were keeping watch elsewhere.

It was cold hours ago, but they could not afford to light a fire. It would only reveal where their position were. At the very least, there were some rations left in the tent from before when Ren and Yuma left without anything. The air felt warmer now. Souji's head bobbed down and he opened his sleepy eyes. He slowly looked up and squinted his eyes. Glancing to his left, he saw Saburo and smiled, '_And he said he'll keep watch after Hajime-kun_…'

Standing up quietly, Souji turned to the door and pushed it open softly. He saw Ayumu and the other two girls in his view. He softly sighed when he saw Kanon was the only one awake. She probably could not go to sleep. Sitting on her ankles, she simply stared blankly at Ayumu lying in front of her on his right. Yumeko was sleeping closely to Ayumu with her right arm around Ayumu's chest, as if it was to keep him warm and secured.

Kanon blinked her tired eyes and glanced to the door when she realized the light coming from it. Souji slightly opened his eyes wider at her silent gaze. She looked miserable and worried. He did not dare to walk into the heavy air of the cabin. But he waved her to come out and she took a moment to respond. She put her hands on her knees and pushed herself up. With a glance to Ayumu and Yumeko, she walked to the door in which Souji opened wider.

"Didn't I tell you to rest?" Souji quietly asked when she stepped out.

While she gently closed the door behind her, she gave him a look that she was not entirely tired. "You're not my dad," she whispered, walking forward. From the roof, Kyou watched Kanon and Souji going off together. "Hajime and Sanosuke weren't sleeping either, so I didn't want to feel bad."

Souji chuckled a bit, "I'm sure Sano-san wouldn't think that. He'd force you to sleep no matter what. And maybe he would even let you rest on his lap."

The two of them did not walk far when Kanon saw Sanosuke and Hajime returning together. At least they were safe and there were troubles. While Souji and Kanon waited for the two men to come closer, Sanosuke spoke first as soon as they got together. "How's Ayumu?" Sansouke inquired.

She sighed before saying, "I think… we should find a doctor." Sanosuke fell silent and was concerned for Ayumu's life. Kanon's eyes looked to Hajime and she wondered about him. "So you're actually no longer influenced by the mind control?" He nodded and she smiled. "That's good. Now we can stand a chance if we meet them again."

"I haven't thanked you properly," Hajime slightly bowed his head.

"It's fine," she folded her arms to her chest. "It was nothing."

Souji smirked, glancing to her. "Well now… care to explain about what a Time Healer is, Kanon?" She grunted and looked sleepy all of the sudden. He hoped she was not planning to avoid the question. "We need to know."

"And we're in this together," Sanosuke smiled to her. At the same time Hajime nodded, Sanosuke added, "And we'll help you no matter what. I don't want you or Ayumu to shoulder whatever you're both hiding. We're friends now. The two of you saved our lives."

As touching as his words for, Kanon had to think for a moment. "My… Ayumu and my mother was known as the Time Healer," Kanon begun explaining, staring at the ground. Her memory was a blur, but she tried to be as accurate as possible. "It was a title given to her because she was the strongest of our clan. And she was only fourteen years old when she received her status."

Souji raised a question, "Then why is your clan considered cursed with an Oni blood?"

She closed her eyes, her head aching. "From what Aunt Akiko mentioned before, she said my great-great-great grandmother was an Oni and fell in love with a human. She was betrothed to an Oni already though… but she ran away with the man she truly loved."

"Oh, one of _those_ stories," Souji commented with a small smirk. Hajime and Sanosuke gave him a look, telling him not to interrupt.

Kanon continued, giving Souji a look herself. "I don't remember much, but I can say this… the Oni, who was supposed to marry my great-great-great grandmother, never found her or the human man. So when he died at a young age, they said his spirit cursed her. At first, my great-great-great grandmother did not understand why she suddenly got the strange healing power. But the man, who she loved… He had a dream about the Oni man. And that was how it pretty much started." Kanon was not certain how her great-great-great grandmother even started to find out she had the power. Did she accidentally heal someone?

"That's pretty deep," Sanosuke stared at her blankly. "And this means you and Ayumu have this cursed power?" She nodded as she looked at him.

Hajime had learned a bit from Sanosuke when they were guarding the area, so he asked, "Why would an Oni curse a family with a power? Even though there are side-effects to it…"

She frowned about the thought. "The cursed power may have benefits, but the Oni made sure it would only bring us trouble. The result of our current clan was exactly what he wanted, I would think. There's only me and Ayumu left alive."

"That's true," Souji looked off to the side. It was one hell of a curse. He still did not understand a few things. Instead of asking about all of them, he combined them into one question. "But it's just a curse, right? Maybe there's a way to undo it."

Kanon sighed at him, slapping him in the arm. "You think we haven't done that already?" she queried.

He gave her a light glare, "Maybe you guys didn't try hard enough." Not going to go and get upset about his statement, she faced the other way to stare at the cabin. Souji walked closer and purposely hit her shoulder with his shoulder. Her body tilted forward and she gave him an annoyed expression. "What do you want to do now?" Souji questioned. "Find a doctor?"

"Obviously," she pouted.

Souji smirked, "Oh. By the way, you and Ayumu kept talking about your aunt. Akiko, was it? Before, you even said she sealed your power. How did she do that?"

She had a long exhausted sigh, looking at the sky while doing so. "She's… not related to us," Kanon explained clearly. The men all stared blankly at her and she returned her eyes to them. "Aunt Akiko was the first person I saved when I was about seven years old. She was like an 'aunt' to me since my parents died after Ayumu turned five years old."

"Oh," Sanosuke was surprised.

"Wait," Souji blinked. "…Ayumu's two years younger than you? Just how old are you?"

Kanon gave him a look. "What would that matter?" she asked him, tilting her head. "I'm sixteen, by the way."

Hajime glanced to look at their faces. Sanosuke was snickering and Souji seemed a bit amused. "Wow, Ayumu looks much more older than he actually is," Souji thought out loud. Her brother was tall and quite mature for his age, making him look like he was eighteen years old instead.

"Yeaaah," Kanon smacked her mouth. She felt a bit depressed thinking about it. "The boys in our family grow tall as soon as they hit puberty. I didn't enjoy being tall for very long when Ayumu started to grow up and pass my height." Souji snickered for some reason and she glared, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he curled his lips into a grin. Hearing her indirectly calling herself short was somewhat adorable. It was like she had a height complex.

Sanosuke shook his head with a smile and then gave Kanon a questioning look. "Let's talk about your aunt again," he said, going back to the topic. "When you saved her, that meant she gained a power then... Does that have something to do with your power being sealed up?"

She nodded, frowning with her head tilted to the side. "Yeah," she replied sadly. "She was worried for me being too kindhearted and helped fulfilled the village chief's dying wish. So I can't use it like a wildfire. Aunt Akiko forbids me to use it too. I hadn't saved anyone until I met Saburo and Yumeko."

"Huh?" Souji blinked at her. "Don't tell me I'm the third person you saved in all of your life."

Hajime wondered why Souji sounded shocked. "It's only natural not to save people, is it not?" Hajime inquired.

"Yeah, of course," Kanon smiled to Hajime. He was so calm and quiet, unlike Souji.

"Then…" Sanosuke rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes. He gazed to Kanon, who was waiting for what he had to say. "How did you and Ayumu meet Yumeko and Saburo? Were they also dying?"

With a long sigh, Kanon shook her head. "Well…" she now frowned. "Saburo was already near death and Yumeko was heavily injured herself. They came by our village by accident. Ayumu and I went over to them when Yumeko was calling out to save Saburo. She begged and begged." Kanon closed her eyes, recalling that moment. "Yumeko did not beg her life to be saved though. Only Saburo's. I told Ayumu that we should help them. They seemed like nice people who were struggling to live… And then Ayumu agreed. Since he did not want me to save them both at the same time, he said he would take half of the share. That was when we saved those two. It had been over a year since they lived with us." Kanon opened her eyes and smiled with a giggle. "I was so happy to have met Saburo and Yumeko."

"Huh," Souji flattened his face. "It makes me wonder how they got injured in the first place."

Hajime nodded, glancing to Kanon. "You said Yumeko-san only begged to save Saburo-san's life?" he inquired.

She gave him a strange look, "Yeah. Why? Is something wrong?" Hajime looked away with a quiet thought. "Guys, I'm sure they ran into some bad people or something. And people are always getting hurt out there."

"True," Sanosuke blinked. He looked to Souji and Hajime. "But it seems like these two are seeing a missing piece of the puzzle."

"What puzzle?" Kanon gave them a hard look. They acted like they were suspicious of Yumeko and Saburo. She would not allow them to think that way. "It's not like they're bad."

"We didn't say that," Souji grinned. "We simply think something is odd about them. That's all."

Kanon pouted, nudging him, "Right. Whatever. It's about time we go back." She did not want to further discuss something as absurd as this.

Sanosuke chuckled, "Then we should get going now."

Hajime walked around them silently and went ahead. Kanon then jogged off toward the cabin, going ahead of the men. Her thoughts soon led her to Ayumu's condition. '_Aunt Akiko_…' she prayed, her eyes begging for hope. '_Please… please watch over Ayumu… Don't let anything take him away from me_.' Because he was her only family left.

[…^…]

On a rocky road, a wide wagon with four healthy brown-furred horses was on a common trail path. A man with a straw hat was holding the dark reins, keeping the horses in check. He was taking his time on the lonesome journey back home. The sun rose, but gray clouds were filling up the sky. It might rain, but luckily he was wearing a straw jacket that covered most of his body.

Unexpectedly, out of the blue, a throwing knife flew right by his head and hit the ground over the wagon. He cried out a bit, but glared and stopped the horses that were not disturbed. "Who did that?!" he shouted rather angrily. "If you're a group of bandits…!"

"Yumeko-chan, I told you not to use this method," Sanosuke's voice sighed. The man lifted up his straw hat and saw two people up on a hill of trees. His mouth dropped when he recognized Sanosuke.

The girl with the short black hair simply glared at the man with straw hat and put away her other knife in her hand. "We need you to take us into town," she told the man in the wagon.

"Harada-san?!"

Sanosuke turned his eyes from Yumeko and to the man, who had short blue hair. Slowly pointing to the man of orange eyes, Sanosuke uttered, "R…Ryunosuke?" Yumeko glanced to Sanosuke and down to the man, who both seemed to know each other like they were old pals. "Is that really you, Ryunosuke?!" Sanosuke smiled widely.

[…^…]

"Sorry, we needed a ride," Sanosuke laughed, putting his arm around Ryunosuke's neck. The two of them were sitting in front of the moving wagon. Sanosuke could not stop smiling because he not seen Ryunosuke ever since _that_ day. Though, Ryunosuke seemed upset about their encounter earlier.

"Yeah right," Ryunosuke frowned, pushing him away. "I saw what that girl wanted to actually do."

"Yumeko-chan's just worried for Ayumu's safety," Sanosuke grinned, his voice convincing enough. Then he quickly asked, "What are you doing out here alone anyway?"

Ryunosuke frowned for a second. "Now I'm making a living out of transporting goods and people," he replied. "Kosuzu travels with me, but then she got sick two days so I left her at the hospital while continuing to work so I can paid the doctor in time."

"She's with you?" Sanosuke smiled. "How is it progressing?"

"That's none of your business right now," Ryunosuke pouted a bit, slightly blushing.

Sanosuke laughed and patted on his back, "Fine. Whenever you want to talk about it, I'll listen."

Looking back, Ryunosuke looked at the people in the wagon. Sitting on the right side, Souji smirked to him and Hajime was next to Souji. The injured man with long brown hair was lying back on the center. To the left sat the two girls. Yumeko was further at the end and Kanon closer to Ryunosuke. "Who are they?" Ryunosuke asked loudly.

On the top of the wagon, Saburo lay on his stomach. "I'm Saburo," he smiled. "Thanks again for lending us a ride." Behind Saburo was Kyou, who sat at the edge at the end of the wagon. "And you're Ryunosuke-san?"

Ryunosuke gave Saburo a look and nodded. "Yeah…" he only said. "Ibuki Ryunosuke."

"Nice to meet you, Ibuki-san," Saburo beamed happily.

Souji snickered and Ryunosuke shot him a glare. "I really thought we would never see each other again," Souji sneered to him.

"Who would want to see you again?" Ryunosuke glared, looking back to the road. Okita Souji. Ryunosuke still had not forgot Souji's cruelty, but he had already forgotten those horrible days. He simply lived on. "When I heard Hijikata-san went missing, here I thought—"

"The Vice-commander?" Hajime asked, looking over to him.

Sanosuke and Souji were shocked while Ryunosuke answered, "Yeah. He disappeared long ago. The war already ended… and the country only begun changing, but there are still remnants of those who still rebelled and only went into hiding."

"Hold on," Souji glared, slighting moving forward in his seat. "Hijikata-san went missing? What happened to the Shinsengumi?"

Ryunosuke lowered his eyes and bit his lower lip. Sanosuke read his expression and looked away with a depressed, hopeless sigh. And then Ryunosuke replied, "They are no more. The emperor was overthrown and a foreign government is establishing in Edo. But… at least they mean well. Just as long as Kosuzu and I live in peace, then it doesn't matter."

"It does matter," Souji retorted. He almost got up, but Hajime grabbed his shoulder to keep him seated. "Hijikata-san couldn't even protect the Shinsengumi!"

"Souji," Sanosuke lightly glared back at him. He knew Souji cared for the Shinsengumi and understood exactly how he felt. But Sanosuke did not want them to linger on. "…Enough." Souji's eyes twitched in silence and he turned to stare at his hands. "It's the end of our era now… It was inevitable. Accept it."

Kanon glanced to look at the guys and Yumeko was only keeping her eyes on Ayumu's still body. Kyou snickered from where he was and Saburo felt awkward when they were all quiet. Feeling a raindrop, Kyou looked up and frowned at the gloomy sky. He threw his legs off the wagon and moved down into the back of the wagon to sit by Hajime. "Excuse of the intrusion," Kyou smirked and Saburo entered the front wagon too, sitting by Kanon.

"Damn, I should hurry," Ryunosuke said, giving the horses the signal on the reins. "Harada-san, you should get inside too. Pull down the curtains so you guys won't wet."

"Thanks, Ryunosuke," Sanosuke smiled. He was a big help. At the same time as Kyou went to pull down the rolled up black curtain, Sanosuke moved to the center of the front wagon and then pulled down the curtain on his side. The wagon increased its speed and the ride became bumpier. '_I wonder how Heisuke and Sannan-san are doing right now_,' Sanosuke stared into space. There was still Shinpachi too.

Kanon hit her the back of her head when the ride slightly flew in the air. "Ow…" she rubbed the pain with one eyes closed.

Saburo laughed, "You okay, Kanon-hime?"

She grabbed his collar and pulled him close, "From now on, stop calling me _hime_. People will get suspicious once we get into town."

He made an unhappy face. "But—" She let him go without a word and he sighed. "Okay… Kanon-san."

"Do you not have a last name?" Hajime inquired. She looked at him with a frown and he blinked. "…Right, you're trying to hide your identity."

"Then make one up," Souji smirked, forgetting the moments of the disappearance of Hijikata Toshizo. "Want me to think one for you?"

"No, thank you," she crossed her arms at him. Even if she knew him a little, she could imagine him just joking around. He would not be thinking seriously. "Kanon is just fine."

Kyou then asked, "And you're actually a _hime_?" Something he was wondering for a long time. He hoped someone would inquire her about it, but apparently no one did. "Or is it just some nickname Saburo thought for you out of _strange_ respect?"

She blinked, "People used to call me _hime_, really…. Like the princess of the clan. So I represented them." Now making a face, it was like it brought her bad memories. "They rarely let me go out, but Aunt Akiko would sneak out with me and I was able to explore a bit of the world and meet a few people, however I never made friends either…" she begun mumbling. '_And there was Souji when we met in Kyoto for the first time_.' Did he not remember her from that time? Not that it bothered her though.

Sanosuke chuckled at her expression. "What's wrong?" he questioned when she stopped talking.

Shaking her head once, she replied ruefully, "It's nothing." Bad memories were not worth thinking about. Her eyes moved from Sanosuke, Souji, and then at Hajime. She blinked and gave Hajime a good, long look. Hajime looked back at her quietly and she smiled. "Oh, cool. Hajime, you can control water," she told him.

"Hm?" Hajime stared blankly at her.

Kyou raised an eyebrow, "Oh, right, Harada said when you heal others, you give them an additional power." Then he pointed to himself with his thumb. "Why don't you heal me too?"

"You don't need it," Kanon gave him a light frown. "Would you want to be around me forever? Because I, for one, do not wish to have another person when I already have three men with me."

Kyou merely laughed in agreement.

Wasting no time to ask, Souji directly looked at her. "What about me?" he inquired. "What power did I get?"

Saburo's voice rose and he nudged Kanon, "Wow, Saito-san can control water? Teach him how to use it! There's water in our bodies, right? Saito-san is going to be a deadly assassin if he wanted to be!"

"Quiet, you," Kanon pushed his face away. "Ayumu's still sleeping." Afterwards, she gave Kyou a look, "And it's not that I gave people addition power. It just happens without my will."

Lifting up his left hand, Hajime stared at it curiously. '_I can control water_?' he asked himself. But how? He felt nothing special happened to him when Kanon 'heal' him. Realizing something, he looked at her seriously, "Kanon-san. How did your healing powers break me away from the mind control?" He never asked because they were too busy with Ayumu and recovering from the shock.

"I'm the daughter of the Time Healer, remember?" Kanon leaned back. The road had gotten smoother and the rain pounded outside on the wagon. "It's not entirely a healing ability to help the injured. Time. I can change a flow of time in a person's body, restoring their cells and even the mind to their original state. I would assume that was it, I don't know the details." Which was why she risked trying to 'heal' Hajime in that moment.

"What?" Sanosuke gave her a puzzled look. "…Does that mean you can even change us back into babies?"

Kanon sighed, "No, stupid." Sanosuke was slightly startled by her insensitive word. "It's kinda on a default. Besides, it would take a lot of power to actually change you back into a baby. If I could, I would have turned Souji into a baby and raised him to be a better person." Souji gave her a disapproving look and she stick her tongue at him.

"In other words," Hajime lifted his hand higher. "You went back in 'time', back to the time before the mind control started." She nodded. "Interesting…"

Souji blinked and gave Hajime a look. "And how did you get mind controlled, Hajime-kun?" he inquired seriously, narrowing his eyes. "What happened when you were supposed to be with Hijikata-san?"

Recalling it made Hajime ashamed of himself. He closed his eyes and had a long pause. Everyone waited while Kyou was just relaxing himself with his back against the moving wagon. "…I don't remember," he murmured.

"What?" Saburo and Sanosuke questioned at the same time.

Hajime looked at them, "My memory is a blur. On the other hand, I do remember waking up and this person… named Haru… was standing in front of me. Before I knew it, my body listened to her will."

"Kanon," Souji quickly looked to her. "Can you use your power to see what happened?"

Before she said anything, Hajime said, "No, Souji. I was unconscious. It happened when I charged toward an army with bullets. So I have no memory how Haru found me… so there is no way of telling if Kanon-san can help me recover an unseen memory."

Unsatisfied, Souji simply grunted. He glanced to Saburo who spoke next, "This Haru chick sounds so complicated. I wonder what her identity is."

Silence gloomed and the rain seemed to have lightened up a bit. Yumeko blinked and glanced to Kanon, but she said nothing. It was then Kanon declared, "Hajime, try practicing your power first." He stared at her curiously. "If you concentrate enough, you can easily use it. It'll come in handy if we run into Haru again. Can you do it?"

He nodded with confidence and stared at his left hand once again. Lowering his eyelids a little, he stared at his first finger. '_Controlling water_…' he thought to himself. Recollecting the sounds of the rivers, lakes, and the rain outside, he tried to feel the movement of water running through his hand. In deep thinking, he was, blood suddenly sprouted out of his first fingertip without warning.

"Gah, Saito-san?!" Saburo gasped. "Are you okay?! How did you do that?"

Kanon moved from her seat and walked over Ayumu. Hajime looked to her and realized what she was going to do. Becoming stiff, he let her forehead touch his and a faint light went by. His fingertip was healed quickly and she moved back. "That was a good first try, Hajime," Kanon chuckled, going backwards back to her seat.

"Y…Yeah," Hajime nodded, staring at his finger. The trace of blood was still there and he wiped it with his sleeve.

Souji squinted his eyes the time when Kanon easily invaded Hajime's personal space. Getting an idea, Souji raised his hand to Hajime's face. "Do that on me too," he told him. "To see how well you can control it."

"It was not that difficult, Souji," Hajime informed.

"Just do it."

Sanosuke and Kyou exchanged smirks when Hajime sighed. Turning his eyes on Souji's fingertip, he imagined water again, but this time on Souji. Within that second, blood sprouted out and Souji was impressed. "Are you content?" Hajime shook his head at him. '_I'm already getting used to it_.'

"Kanon," Souji smiled to her, showing his minor injury. She frowned and he said, "Help me out there."

She rolled her eyes. Taking her sleeves, she used her teeth to rip out a strip. Leaning forward, she took his hand and simply wrapped the minor wound up. "There," she said with a flat face, leaning back.

Souji gave her a disbelief look. "…Are you kidding me?"

"I'm quite serious," she stick her nose in the air. It was what he deserved for doubting Hajime.

Letting it slide, Souji inquired, "What's my power anyway? You never told me."

Kanon looked at him now and waited for a moment. He stared back seriously and she snorted. "I'm not telling you," she snickered, leaning against Yumeko, who was still as quiet as before. Sanosuke took a glance to Yumeko and was concerned what was going through her mind right now.

"Why can't you?" Souji begun to glare at Kanon.

She replied proudly, "I don't think you need to know what kind of power you have. Besides, you already have your 'white hair' form, so there's no way I'm letting you beat me the next time we spar."

"That's what you're worried about?" Souji smirked with mockery. She nodded firmly. "Fine. If you put it that way, I don't need an extra power to beat you down. And I don't need to be a Rasetsu do it either." It would be all of his entire knowledge and skill. It was all he needed.

"Good," she grinned happily.

Sighing heavily, Saburo questioned, "You two still want to fight? Please don't! It's getting old!"

Driving the wagon out in the open, Ryunosuke looked around and slowed down a bit. Glancing back, he was half listening to them and found Kanon's power to be odd. It seemed they were keeping it as a secret, so he would not pry on it. His eyes concentrated on the road and the sky remained dark. '_I hope Kosuzu is feeling better_,' he worried. But after a few more miles, he would be able to check on her soon enough.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	11. Omake 1

_Omake 1!_

**Time frame**: Chapter 9  
After Souji, Hajime, Sanosuke, and Kanon were done talking about the Time Healer and meeting Yumeko and Saburo for the first time.

**Inspiration from a friend**: Aen Silver Fire

Enjoy!

* * *

Sanosuke chuckled, "Then we should get going now." Before anyone moved from their spots, Sanosuke took note of Kanon's tired eyes. "Kanon-chan, you look a bit restless. Did you not sleep in the last few hours?" The tone of his voice was gentle, yet demanding.

She blinked, "Ah…" For some reason, she did not want to go over this subject.

But then Souji snickered, "Nope. It seemed she refused to because you and Hajime-kun were out patrolling the area for everyone's safety."

Hajime glanced to Sanosuke when he said, "That's not good, Kanon-chan. You're only sixteen years old and you're still growing." He walked up in front of her and ruffled her hair with a smile. "You need your beauty sleep."

Dryly staring at him, she tilted her head to tell him to take his hand away, but his fingers easily got tangled in her hair. "Hey!" she frowned, grabbed for his hand and her hair with both hands. "I don't need any beauty sleep… ow, hey, be careful!"

Hajime stared quietly and awkwardly at the same time as Souji was snickering in the background. Sanosuke laughed uneasily, trying to take his hand away. But Kanon kept moving her hands around and he barely made any progress to get out of her tangled hair. "See?" he grinned, ruffling her head even more. "Your hair is all messed up! Take better care of yourself!"

Kanon pouted when his other hand took her wrist. She stopped moving and he slowly untangled her hair and then freed himself. Smoothing down her hair, she frowned, "My hair's only messed up because you were playing with it, Sanosuke."

"Here, I'll comb them with my fingers," he offered with a thin smile. "I'll let you take a nap on my lap while we're at it."

"Naooo!" Kanon blurted, backing away like a cat. When she did that, she almost hit her arm to Hajime, but he quietly moved to dodge it.

Souji placed his elbow on Sanosuke's shoulder with a smirk. "Sano-san, looks like we have an disobedient child in our hands," he teased, looking at Kanon. "I'll hold her down for you."

"Why would you care?!" Kanon shot a glare to the green eyes that stared at her mischievously. Reaching for Hajime's arm, Kanon dragged him to the side and hid behind him. Her head peeked out and she hissed, "I won't sleep! And my hair's just fine!"

Hajime sighed and felt her hands squeezing his arm. "Sano, Souji…" he spoke, closing his eyes slowly. "Please do not tease Kanon-san too much. We still have things to take care off." He did not want them to play around for long. Time was running short too.

"Geez, Hajime-kun is defending her," Souji sneered, moving to stand up straight. "You can't hide behind him forever, Kanon."

"Haha," Sanosuke laughed, raising the back of his hand over his mouth. "Okay, let's head back." The time of teasing should not last any longer than it was, he agreed with Hajime. Kanon pouted, still cautious of the men because they were stronger in numbers and in strength. Hajime glanced back to her curiously because she did not move while Sanosuke smiled with a tilting head. "Kanon-chan, are we going or not?"

"Of course!" she whispered loudly, still behind Hajime.

Still wearing a grin, Souji rolled his eyes to her. Kanon acted like a kitten that did not want a bath. But it was a nice treat to see her in this way. Once and a while would not be so bad either. Because of these kinds of moments that Souji was spending with them, it purely meant memories was still worth making and keeping in times like these.

* * *

**Author's note**: Okay, did the time frame make any sense? I didn't want to mislead anyone and tried to make sure where/when exactly this _omake_ would have taken place at. ...Oh wait a sec... Chapter 9 was just the recent chapter. XD Okay, never mind! Thinking too hard here! As long as it didn't make anyone confuse about it.

And I'm not sure if I'm going to have more _omake_ in the future, but I added _omake 1_ here just in case! I would probably make more if you wish to see a certain scene that should have happened or if you would want to see if this or that took place. Yes, I can take requests... XD

Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 10**

_You are in my dream, touching my very soul. I miss my deepest love with you._

Those were the words Ayumu once spoke with the first tears he shed. He had thought he had erased those memories, but his conscious was completely blank with old memories only. His body would not move. From time to time, he could hear the voices of Kanon and Yumeko. Later, he would hear the others talking around him. There was a moment Souji badmouthed Ayumu, but Yumeko told him off angrily. Angrily? She had never shown her anger side before. Ayumu had only known her to be sarcastic, lying for her own amusement, quiet, and… loyal to her friends.

The floor felt shaky, the horsed neighed, and then everything came to a stop. There were whispers. Ayumu tried to stay with the world, but then his conscious was lost in the memories once again.

[…^…]

"Ryunosuke, what's wrong?" Sanosuke inquired, removing the black curtain. The sun in the middle of the sky and the curved road was still wet. And down the road that led to the right, Sanosuke heard voices. It sounded like rowdy people were laughing and someone was crying. Sanosuke glared, "Ryunosuke, hey…"

"Shh," Ryunosuke hissed, glaring to the road. There were trees that blocked what lie ahead of the curved road. The horses were just as quiet and Ryunosuke grunted. "I think there's trouble up ahead…"

Kanon peeked out from the other side of the curtain in the front. "Sanosuke, can you check what's up ahead?" she requested.

Ryunosuke looked back at the same time as Sanosuke nodded. Soon, his golden eyes glowed and he narrowed his eyes as he saw ten presences. They moved around, kicking a couple of people near the entrance of the town. And in each arm of the men, they carried something Sanosuke recognized. "…They're all carrying riffles," Sanosuke informed. Ryunosuke's eyes opened widely, shocked and wondering about Sanosuke's eyes.

"Huh?" Souji leaned to Sanosuke. "I thought you can only sense presences of people. Can you actually see through trees now, Sano-san?"

"Shit," Ryunosuke's cursing word interrupted them. "I bet those guys are a group of bandits that I have been hearing about days ago." Ryunosuke signaled the horses to turn back and hopefully the bandits would not hear them. "Great, I'm even more worried about Kosuzu…" If only he got here sooner, but he could not bring himself to blame anyone who needed the ride. "How in the world did the bandits get through? The town's walls are too high for them to climb over… But there aren't any town guards either…"

As the wagon fully turned, Saburo jumped over Kanon and asked, "What group of bandits?"

"They go by Carnage—something," Ryunosuke frowned. He was worried about Kosuzu in the town. "We should find a way to get inside without getting notice…"

Kanon nudged Saburo off. "Tell us more about these bandits," she eyed Ryunosuke curiously.

Hajime was in the back with Kyou, so they both removed the curtains from the back, making sure no one was following them. They still heard the cries of help. Hajime narrowed his eyes and wished to aid them. As for Kyou, he merely smiled when he noticed Hajime's concerned expression.

"Those bandits had been stealing from the rich for the last few weeks," Ryunosuke begun explaining. "They carry all sorts of weapons… and they're growing in numbers each day and now they pick on the weak. The new government made no time to get rid of them on this side of the land." The horses speed up when Ryunosuke used a whip.

"That's horrible!" Saburo glared with a pout. "Let's go and beat them up!"

Ryunosuke frowned, "It's not that easy…"

"Hey, we have powers," Kanon said, gesturing to the people around her. "I think we can do it just fine." She wanted to help out the weak.

"Even so—" Ryunosuke looked over to her.

"There should be a doctor in the village and my brother needs help as soon as possible," Kanon stated seriously. "You said it yourself, someone you know is sick in town. So hurry up and park this wagon somewhere… I'll go into the town and see what I can do."

Saburo snapped his head her and asked, "Kanon-san, you're not planning on going in alone, are you?"

"Yes, you may come along," she flattened her expression to him.

Kyou smirked, "Hey, count me in too. Ibuki said they had all kinds of weapons, right? I'll go and see if they have anything for me."

Smiling brightly, Kanon nodded, "That's sounds great! We should go and steal some ourselves! I always wanted to use a weapon! What do you use to fight, Kyou?" She remembered he had a gun, but she wanted to ask him anyway.

While the guys listened to them talking, Kyou sneered, "A gun of course."

She frowned, "That's so boring! All you do is stand there and shoot."

"And aim," he winked, forming his hand into a gun and pretended to fire at her. "You should try using one too. It'll kill anyone in an instant. Because the moment you pull the trigger, a life is guarantee to be taken away. Just like how the blade of a katana works."

He was right. All weapons were the same either way. Kanon shrugged, "I'll think about it."

Sanosuke then said, "Hey, maybe we _should_ go and steal _some_ weapons. We need to be armed before Haru and those guys attack us again, right?" Hajime nodded to him quietly. "Then let's make plans how to get into town and mess things up for the bandits."

Snickering, Souji said, "Alright, sounds fun." He was up for something like this anytime.

Though Saburo agreed to beat the bandits up, but stealing was entirely different. Saburo sighed disapprovingly at them while Ryunosuke gave them a look. "Don't act so careless," Ryunosuke informed with a snarl. "They're more of a problem than you think!" And he did not care how talented they were with their katanas or whatever. A life and death battle should be avoided at all costs. But everyone ignored him and Ryunosuke looked away annoyingly.

"Yumeko-chan, how far can I leave Ayumu's side?" Sanosuke inquired, looking to her.

She was only staring at Ayumu silently, but she answered, "Ten miles."

Sanosuke wished she would be more cheerful, or at least be herself again. Seeing her quiet and depressed was unusual. He smiled and said, "Don't worry about Ayumu. We'll take care of those bandits and get him a doctor." There was a trace of smile on her face and she nodded. Sanosuke chuckled as he reached over and patted on her head.

"Alright, here's what I think our plan should be!" Kanon threw a fist in the air, beaming.

Souji frowned, "Ah, no. Kanon, we are not going to go with your plan." She shot him a glare and he added, "At least let's all think of one together."

"Hence why I said 'what I _think_ our plan should be' you dummy!" she told him.

"Okay, listen up," Sanosuke took charge to quiet them down. Kanon gave Souji another glare and Souji smirked to the side amusingly. Sanosuke had to sigh at those two and said, "We'll have to avoid going in as a group first…" Besides Yumeko and Ryunosuke, everyone leaned in to listen.

Ryunosuke still could not believe they were actually going to do it. Since they would not willingly to listen to him, he could only hope they would be unharmed. Ryunosuke did not listen to their plans, but heard Kanon and Saburo arguing about something for a second and they all calmed down again. And then Ryunosuke heard Souji being shocked to learn Yumeko could make fire out of thin air. So were Sanosuke and Hajime. The wagon had long gone off the road and Ryunosuke made sure there were enough trees to hide the wagon away. He moved off the wagon and stretched.

"Ryunosuke, you're staying here with Yumeko-chan, okay?" Sanosuke said, getting off the wagon first.

"What?" Ryunosuke turned to look at them. While everyone else got off, Yumeko remained by Ayumu's side. "Why are all of you going to town for? That's too suspicious, don't you think?" And did Sanosuke not say something similar about it a few minutes ago?

Hajime and Souji walked next to Sanosuke, who was facing Ryunosuke. They stood a few yards from him. "Don't be concerned about us," Hajime nodded, his eyes warm. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can find a doctor to treat our friend."

Kanon frowned, "I still think we can just all go together, pretend to be nice to the bandits and at the same time, get a doctor. What if Ayumu needs treatment as soon as possible?"

"I know," Sanosuke glanced to her, worried. "But we don't know how many men we'll go up against. I can't run with Ayumu on our backs, can I?" They had already talked about this. When will Kanon get it through her head?

Saburo nodded, putting his elbow on Kanon's shoulder. "Yeah, less talk, the sooner we'll get a doctor," Saburo blinked at her. She gave him a defeated look and shrugged him off of her shoulder.

"We should move then," Kyou called. He was already walking off by himself.

Saburo hurried to catch up with him and Kanon looked over to the wagon. Yumeko was watching them with a cool expression. "We'll finish this before nightfall," Kanon promised with a smile. Yumeko nodded and Kanon waved, turning around to go after the other two guys.

Ryunosuke had to frown as the three men in front of them faced away. Souji smirked, itching for a fight. Hajime was calm as ever and Sanosuke seemed confident. Ryunosuke's muscles relaxed as he watched their backs. '_Well… those guys never changed_,' Ryunosuke smiled, crossing his arms.

"We'll be back soon!" Sanosuke waved high without looking back.

"Yeah!" Ryunosuke shouted to them. "And don't die on me!"

With a pause, Sanosuke stopped walking while the others were still walking ahead. Looking back with a grin, Sanosuke commented, "You look good with that new look, Ryunosuke."

"Hah?" Ryunosuke could not help but give him a frown. Sanosuke laughed and moved his feet to catch up with the others. "…Geez," Ryunosuke pouted a bit, touching his short hair. Either Sanosuke really thought his new hair looked good or he was just teasing him as if he was flirting. Ryunosuke had noticed they had shorter hair too. _'I wonder what they've been though_,' he thought with a quiet look on his face.

Yumeko moved closer to the end of the wagon and gazed to her friends. Her hand touched the wall of the wagon and she felt some concern for them. Ayumu was still breathing and he had not seemed to be getting worst yet, but something made her feel very uneasy. "Good luck, everyone," she murmured, leaning her head against the wagon softly.

The group in front, Kanon was walking beside Saburo's left. Though Kyou was a bit ahead, he was more on Saburo's right. "Kyou, a question," Kanon looked to him. Kyou glanced at her with a natural expression on his face. "The walls of the town are high, right? And Sanosuke suggested me to have Souji help me jump over it…? Why Souji?"

Kyou rolled his eyes with a smirk. "You can totally ask Harada that yourself, can't you?" he snickered. She shrugged and still gave him a curious look. "Okita is a Rasetsu," Kyou told her. "His inhuman strength and combine it with your fast jumping ability, I'm sure you know what Harada was thinking about."

"Yeah, Kanon-san," Saburo blinked to her, smiling a bit.

"Inhuman?" Kanon inquired. "So, Souji's really a monster?"

Laughing a bit, Kyou replied, "It's a complicated and long story… but yes, he became a monster. Though, using the strength as a Rasetsu takes away a person's life span. So the more he uses it, the less he'll live."

Saburo gasped, "Really? What a terrible power! Why was Okita-san thinking, becoming a monster like that?! What happened?"

"Long story," Kyou repeated, keeping his eyes straight ahead. He wanted to be sure the town were in their direction. "Go ask him yourself. I don't know the details. Seriously. I don't."

"Kanon-san!" Saburo snapped his head to her with puppy eyes. "Do you think you can heal Okita-san's life span?"

She frowned at him, "Of course I can! I'm sure my healing power already took care of it… but if Souji continues to use it, that means I have to keep him in check and heal him all over again." That sounded about right, but Kanon hoped she never have to heal him again. He deserved a bit of pain once and a while just because she believed so.

"I guess you're right…" Saburo slowly nodded, looking back to the front.

"Oh," Kyou seemed to remember something. If Souji could still use his Rasetsu form, how come he was not thrusting for blood? Kanon's power again? That was really strange. Her power seemed very handy, but it also puts her life on the line. "Pretty sad," Kyou mumbled.

"Eh?" Saburo stared at him with confusion.

Looking to Kanon at the corner of his eyes, Kyou smirked, "You're really something, aren't you?" She blinked and Saburo leaned his body forward to show his confused gesture. "You and Ayumu… those powers… I wonder if Okita even noticed he's walking in broad daylight right now." Kyou smirked. He had not been paying any attention to Okita, so he only realized it now.

Before Kanon could grasp what Kyou was saying, Sanosuke's voice exclaimed, "Hey, that's right! Souji, I completely forgot about you shouldn't be walking around in day!" Souji raised an eyebrow, but he was a bit shocked. Hajime glanced to them, showing a little surprised look himself. "Man, I guess just seeing you all normal now never raised that question before!" Sanosuke grinned, ruffling Souji's hair.

"Hey, don't do that," Souji slapped his hand away. But he was in a bit of daze. Because all this time, he really did forget how a Rasetsu do not walk in daylight. Souji just happened to be thinking about his thrust for blood too. He had not felt it in a long while. '_Is it really thanks to Kanon_?' he blinked, looking at his hand he raised to his chest. Just how much was he going to owe her for saving him and his friends? She healed his sickness, but he was sure she was not aware of that in the first place. She brought him back to life and she could have prevented his thrust of blood. His lifespan too. Souji suddenly felt heavily indebted for not realizing this sooner. Had he been taking her for granted?

"Kanon's a good girl," Sanosuke nodded with a smug smile. He was between Souji and Hajime.

Souji smirked and glanced to the redhead. "Then you can have her, Sano-san," Souji teased with a chuckle.

"Who said about having her?" Sanosuke grinned happily. That thought never crossed his mind. After all, she was still very young.

Hajime glanced to them on his right. "Souji," Hajime spoke. "Don't forget what Kondou-san taught us. We must always—"

"Thank our benefactor, I know," Souji said with complete boredom, interrupting him. "I did thank her already."

Sanosuke snorted and put his hand on Souji's shoulder. "Sure, but I heard you thanked her right before you started to throw punches at her," Sanosuke said. Souji narrowed his eyebrows at him, wondering where Sanosuke had heard that from, and Hajime sighed in disappointment. "Why don't you thank her properly, huh?"

"I don't think she needs it, Sano-san," Souji told him, brushing Sanosuke's arm away. That was what he believed since Kanon was such a brat. She did what she wanted and she was that kind of person from the moment they met. Like an arrogant little princess. Crossing his arms, Souji put hands into his sleeves with a frown. His eyes gradually glued onto Kanon's back. She turned her head as if she felt him looking and he smirked. She returned a look by sticking her tongue at him. "I'm so going to beat her up as soon as we are armed with weapons," Souji declared with a hiss.

With a calm glance, Hajime inquired, "Is that all you can think about Souji?" Before Souji could even respond, Hajime said, "She simply acts the way she does because of you."

Sanosuke laughed, giving Souji a rough pat on the back, "Hajime's right! So you better treat her a little better from now on!"

"Yeah right!" Kanon shouted over to them. The three of them were so loud and clear; she felt she had to say something. "Not until I turn him into a baby first!"

Annoyed, Souji elbowed Sanosuke away to keep their distances now. Before any more words were exchanged, they started to hear Ryunosuke calling. Everyone all turned around, with only Kyou looking over his shoulder, they spotted the wagon heading toward them. Yumeko was sitting in the front next to Ryunosuke and the look on her face was blank.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Sanosuke frowned, taking a few steps.

The wagon stopped a few meters away and Yumeko jumped off, walking to them while fixing the knives in her sleeves. "Sorry, but she…" Ryunosuke pointed to Yumeko, blinking a couple of times.

"Yumeko?" Kanon called, jogging over to the group with Saburo behind her. When Kanon ran pass the three men, she stopped and took Yumeko's hand. "What's wrong? Did Ayumu wake up?" she inquired, looking back to the wagon.

"No," Yumeko shook her head. Kanon blinked, a bit sadden to hear it, but wondered what her friend wanted since she came to them. Giving Kanon a serious look, Yumeko said, "I think we should go with Plan A, where you want me to use my power to set up a fire to cause a commotion inside the city."

Saburo stopped running right beside them and asked, "Huh? Why? We went with Plan B because we were worried about you and—"

Yumeko interrupted with a glance to him, "I think it's better to go together. I really don't want to be separated from anyone… Not anymore." Yumeko's eyes gazed to the other men. Hajime and Souji seemed indifferent and Sanosuke slightly concerned. "And I think we should add adjustments to the plan, even if we get separated for a little bit."

Over where Kyou was, he watched as Sanosuke walked forward. Sanosuke then questioned, "What do you suggest then?"

"I want Ayumu to see a doctor as soon as possible," Yumeko said, lowering her eyes. She stared at the hand Kanon held gently. "So let me and Ryunosuke take him into town first."

"Are you kidding me?!" Ryunosuke exclaimed, getting off the wagon. He stomped toward the group rather angrily. "Those bandits aren't that friendly when they see a pretty girl!" Ryunosuke paused in his steps when he distanced himself from Yumeko's right side. "Even I'm worried for Kosuzu!"

There was truth in Ryunosuke's words. Sanosuke was reluctant himself and Hajime felt there was no place for a woman to enter a town like that. Souji frowned to the side and rubbed the back of his neck. After a moment of silence, Yumeko gave Ryunosuke an emotionless look. "I'll be fine," she assured. "I can play with fire if I really want to."

"Then let's do it," Kanon said, turning around to look at the others. All of the men stared at her. Thinking quickly about Yumeko's 'adjustment' to the plan, Kanon said, "Hajime, I want you and Yumeko to go into town together with Ryunosuke. Take Ayumu ahead to see a doctor."

"H-Hey, don't use my first name like that so easily," Ryunosuke gave her a strange expression.

"And then," Kanon looked at Saburo, clearly ignoring Ryunosuke. While Saburo seemed hesitate about the idea, he listened. "I'm going to ask you to stick with Kyou and Sanosuke, so the three of you can go into town together after Yumeko, Hajime, and Ryunosuke go through first. Okay, Saburo?"

He blinked, "But Kanon-san…"

She let go of Yumeko's hand, turning around to look at the other men. "Souji, you and I will wait outside," she told him. "Like what Sanosuke planed beforehand, we'll wait for nighttime and sneak into the town. Meet up with Sanosuke's group when they locate the stolen weapons. And then we wait for Yumeko's fire signal."

Souji grunted, "Do you actually think—"

"And then Sanosuke," she ignored Souji right away, looking directly to Sanosuke. He kept his words to himself and waited to hear what she had to say. "We'll stick your plan with the use of your power. I'll be counting on you, Saburo, and Kyou to slip pass the guard to get the 'boss' of the bandits to put an end to the bandits' abuse. That is, if any boss is actually in town right now."

Sanosuke silently glanced to Yumeko and back to Kanon. As for Souji, he rested his left hand on his hip with a sigh. Hajime then nodded and said without any doubt, "We'll go with that plan then."

Seconds ago, Kyou was walking to them. He went around them to get a better view of their faces and snickered after. "Doesn't matter what kind of plan we have," Kyou smirked. "I just want to crash a party."

"Okay, who's that guy again?" Ryunosuke had to ask, looking over to Sanosuke. To him, Kyou was such a weird person. Even weird than Hijikata.

"Shiranui Kyou, at your service, kid," Kyou introduced himself. They all had a short intro when they first got the ride, but Ryunosuke seemed the type to forget easily. Or so Kyou thought with a snicker.

Ryunosuke gave Kyou a long hard look. "You don't look very friendly," he commented. How the others met this guy was beyond his knowledge.

"You're saying that now?" Kyou scoffed, looking away at the same time.

"I really don't like the plan," Sanosuke's voice rose. Everyone now looked to him and his eyes narrowed to Yumeko. "You're clearly using yourself as bait to get the bandits' attention. I'm not going to let you do that. I won't allow it."

Yumeko glared, a side she does not desire to show to others often. "I only want Ayumu to see a doctor as soon as possible," she told him, her voice getting deep. "Besides, don't concern yourselves with me. I'm the only one who's armed and I'm good at fighting. I can hold on my own."

Still, Sanosuke did not approve. "Ah," Saburo raised his hand. "Harada-san, I wouldn't worry about Yumeko. She'll be fine. Seriously. She can burn those bandits if they go too far. And she'll have Ibuki-san and Saito-san with her." Saburo hoped they would get this discussion over with as soon as possible. For one, Ayumu was still uncurious, and two, Saburo did not want anyone to start arguing. They were all friends now. It hurt to see everyone look angrily at each other.

They all noticed Yumeko was still glaring to Sanosuke, while he gave a disapproving look in return. Souji's voice cracked up the silence, "Sano-san is just worried."

"Come, Hajime," Yumeko called, her eyes breaking off the stare. She took Ryunosuke's arm to drag him back to the wagon.

"Whoa, hey, seriously?" Ryunosuke uttered, turning around to walk at his own pace.

Hajime glanced to Sanosuke, looking for any sign of consent. After a moment, Sanosuke just nodded. "Don't worry," Hajime told him, walking off. "I'll make sure I'll keep an eye on her."

Sanosuke chuckled, his eyes lowering to the ground. "I'll count on you, Hajime," he said quietly. Using women as bait… Sanosuke really hated that idea very much. But Yumeko was really insisting on it. He could tell she would not even listen to him or the others.

As Yumeko got into the wagon, Ryunosuke unwillingly sat in the front and then Hajime got up and moved into the wagon. With a frown, Ryunosuke took the dark reins and whipped the four patient horses. As the horses begun to move, the others moved out of the way for better access of the pathless road. Just as wagon passed them, Ryunosuke called back to them, "Be careful now! We'll go on ahead!"

"Yeah!" Saburo waved. Though he was worried himself, but kept a smile on. '_Please be fine, you guys_…' Saburo prayed, his hand slowly returning to his side.

Souji's eyes closed halfway when Sanosuke was still staring at the ground with a bitter face, as if Sanosuke was unable to do a thing. Kanon walked to Souji's side and she peeked to look at Sanosuke's face. As the wagon had passed all of them, Kyou was watching the wagon. The back did not have the curtains so he could see Yumeko and Hajime inside clearly. None of them looked back though, but Yumeko seemed very determined. Kyou let out an exhausted sigh.

Hopefully their 'half-baked' plan will turn out all right in the end.

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Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 11**

"Perhaps Sano should have been the one to come with you, Yumeko-san," Hajime said.

The wagon shook from moving and the horses seemed to pant. Yumeko lifted her eyes from staring at Ayumu and she stared at Hajime's cool eyes. She was not able to read the emotion in his face and did not try to understand it. "Why do you say that?" she asked, but she was not too curious about it. She had her own reason.

Hajime closed his eyes and felt the wind through his hair. "With his power, it will determine he is more of use to you," he replied quietly.

"I chose you because of _your_ power." He opened his eyes slowly and looked to her. Yumeko was holding Ayumu's hand and her eyes seemed frightened. She then continued saying, "Because you can control water… if I mess something up, I know you can use your power to stop mine." Her flames had always scared her. But she was willingly to face that fear for the sake of Ayumu.

"…I see," Hajime said, still looking at her directly. "Then I shall do my best to meet your expectation, Yumeko-san."

She nodded, closing her eyes. "Thank you, Hajime," she sounded relieved.

Really, do Kanon and Yumeko all call other people's first names like that so easily? Hajime wondered if he could ever get used to it. His eyes then glanced to Ryunosuke and he asked, "Have you been training when you disappeared?"

Ryunosuke gagged, as if Hajime was nagging him like what he did in the past. "Of course I am!" Ryunosuke replied almost angrily and did not look back. " Though, I'm no where as good as you, Saito-san, but I should be able to hold on my own if I faced one or two men… pretty much anyway."

Faintly smiling, Hajime said, "Good to hear." From time to time, Hajine had thought about Ryunosuke and days of the past. As much as Hajime wished for time to go back, nothing would last forever. Like the Shinsengumi. Hajime lowered his eyes down quietly and gripped on his katana. He was not planning on leaving it behind anytime soon. He still had some things to protect, even now.

"…We're here," Ryunosuke grumbled with a light glare. Just meters away, the bandits were guarding the front gates, which were huge wooden doors. The old yellow walls reached about five stories, expanding from the far left to the far right.

Turning her head slowly, Yumeko's eyes gazed to the bandits that walked up to their wagon when Ryunosuke slowed the horses down. There were about four of them, two of them had short black hair and the other two had semi-long black hair. They wore color-coded kimonos in the hue of yellow. In their arms, they carried rifles as Sanosuke had stated before, but Yumeko and Hajime looked closer. Each bandit also had one knife that was on their left side, underneath their brown waistband.

"And who are you guys?" one of the bandit asked. His voice was a bit high pitched, but it sounded like he was only faking his voice. His hair was short and he was the shortest out of the four.

Ryunosuke kept his nerves calm. "I returned from work," he answered them, making sure to keep his voice inferior to them. "And this is my home."

"Who's the pretty lady?" They already taken the bait and Yumeko was prepared. She kept staring at them and the taller bandit stepped up. "…Are those people with you?"

"Yes," Ryunosuke nodded, gesturing with his head. "My job is to transport."

"Then that means you have money," they all grinned.

Ryunosuke glared at them, which he probably should not have done because they were all were walking closer with their greedy eyes. '_I hate these kinds of people_,' Ryunosuke gripped on the reins in his hands. Just under the wagon, Ryunosuke actually hid a katana down there. If these bandits were going to do something to him or his friends or to Yumeko, he would kill them. But then he thought about Kosuzu. If he made a move, what if more bandits came at them and he would have to leave her behind? Gritting his teeth, he wondered what he should do. He was never the thinker.

"What are all of you doing?" a familiar deep, calm voice called.

Hajime looked up quickly and his eyes saw Yuma. The man with silver hair walked from the front gate calmly. And Yumeko glared right away. "Ah, Yuma, sir…" the four bandits backed away to greet silver head. Despite the fact Yuma still had the bruise that Sanosuke left on left cheek, the bandits were not planning to disrespect him or even laugh.

Stopping by the shorter bandit, Yuma glanced to him, "You men were only ordered to keep watch at the gate. Do not cause too much trouble for others."

"Uh… yes," he nodded, keeping his head low. Yuma's quiet eyes glanced to Ryunosuke and to the people behind him. He looked like he did not recognize any of them. Shortly afterward, Yuma turned around and begun to walk off to the town.

Yumeko moved her hand, wanting to throw her knife to Yuma's back, but then Hajime's hand stopped her arm. She narrowed her eyes to Hajime and he shook his head silently to her. '_Right_,' her mind cooled a bit. She was here to find a doctor for Ayumu. Nothing more. Her eyes relaxed and he let her go without a word exchanged.

As the wagon moved, Ryunosuke glanced to the bandits who were now quiet. As they walked under the gates, Ryunosuke let out a relieved sigh. "…Yuma was his name?" Ryunosuke asked himself. "I wonder who he was… they listened to him right away."

Hajime stayed quiet and rather not have Ryunosuke get involved with their problems. Because Ryunosuke was already leading a life with someone he may love, therefore it was better to keep Ryunosuke in the dark. Hajime glanced to Yumeko to make sure she was behaving and saw her smiling at him. "…Yes?" he blinked at her.

Shaking her head, she answered gently, "It's nothing." She was really glad to have chosen Hajime to come along. His peaceful aura was so calming and she trusted him and his judgments. Her eyes laid to Ayumu and there was still no sign of him waking up yet. '_Ayumu_,' she thought sadly. '…_We'll get a doctor to see you soon… Hang in there_.'

From the far distant on a higher hill, Sanosuke's glowing eyes watched the wagon safety disappearing pass the gates and walls. He sighed to release his distress, but now there was another problem that rose. "…I saw Yuma," he notified. "It seems he's with the bandits. They seemed rather friendly towards each other."

"Eh?!" Kanon popped out from the tree and grabbed his arm. "Are you serious?! I can't believe he's here!"

Saburo jumped on her with an alarmed face. "Do you think Haru is the boss then?" he quickly questioned. While Kanon pushed Saburo off of her, Souji and Kyou both walked out of hiding. "What are we going to do now?" Saburo looked at everyone curiously.

"We stick to the plan," Kyou sneered. "There's nothing else we can do for now."

Souji glanced to the Oni, "…Really, why are you still with us?"

"Why can't I?" Kyou smirked to him. The only reason Kyou had in mind was his concern of Amagiri Kyuuju. Nothing more, nothing less.

Looking back, Sanosuke's eyes returned to normal. "I couldn't sense how many bandits were in the town," he told them, a bit ashamed of himself. Maybe he was too far. "Hopefully there aren't that many of them."

Kanon whined, "I hate this. If Yuma's here, then that means Ren is here too! What are we going to do now?"

Frowning, Souji told her, "We already said we'll stick to the plan."

"I'm just worried they'll get in the way," Kanon shot him a glare. "Since Sanosuke clearly stated the bandits were 'friendly' with Yuma, do you know what this means?"

Souji smirked hungrily and looked away to where the town was. "It just means more action," he chuckled. He could not wait to move his body again. He was tied up the last time too, so he would give those men a good payback.

"No," she slapped his arm. Souji was very still and slowly gave her an irritated look. "There may be more skilled people like Yuma and Ren in town." Kanon turned to look at Sanosuke. "Make sure you guys look after each other when you enter the town later. You got that?"

Saburo smiled, putting his arm around Kanon's shoulders. "Don't worry!" he nodded to her and she blinked at him. "We're men after all!"

Sanosuke let out a burst of laughter and patted on Saburo's head once, who looked a bit awkward because Sanosuke was laughing at what he said. "You really do know how to worry for others, don't you, Kanon-chan?" Sanosuke grinned. She flatly stared at him and then he gave Kyou thumbs up. "We're men, Shiranui. We shouldn't make the women worried, don't you agree?"

Scoffing, Kyou said with a small smile, "Sure. Whatever you say, Harada."

Kanon just had a sudden realization. She was surrounded by men. Oh, how she missed Yumeko already. Speaking of which, Kanon got out of Saburo's grip and she walked forward a few steps. "I hope Ayumu will be treated soon," she murmured and her heart sunk. He never woke up. Was that supposed to be a bad sign? And another problem was the money. To find a doctor to treat Ayumu, Kanon was uneasy about how much Yumeko and Ayumu had on them. Those two actually used to leave the village very often to do a bit of work in towns and cities. Then they would buy some extra clothes and other supplies seasonally as required.

"Looks like Kanon will be worried as long as her brother is still injured," Souji said, moving to stand by her side. He rested his hand on her shoulder and she glanced to him warily. "You worry too much," Souji gave her a half smile. "Look, even your shoulders are tensed. You'll grow old very fast and lose your beauty."

She shrugged him off and looked back to the town. '_So what if I worry too much_,' she thought to herself. When her heart felt something bad might happen, she really feared that possibility. But it was always healthier to think more positively.

"So, Shiranui-san," Saburo blinked to him when he faced to the blue haired man. "You never told us about yourself, have you?"

Kyou looked at him curiously, "You ask _this_ now?"

"Oh," Saburo slightly looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Should we introduce ourselves again?"

"No need," Kyou smirked. "Sa-bu-ro… right?"

There was a strange hint in Kyou's voice and Saburo stared blankly. "…Have we met?" Saburo inquired, scratching his face. Kyou looked away with a secretive smile and both Sanosuke and Souji looked over to them. '_Oh hell_,' Saburo's face turned upside down. '_Does he know me_?'

"Saburo-kun?" Souji grinned to him, sensing something was amiss. "You look almost pale there."

"No, I'm fine!" Saburo hurried to smile. He started to laugh uneasily and went to hug Kanon from behind. "Kanon-san, hold me!" he cried rather insecurely.

She glared back at him, "What's up with you all of the sudden, Saburo?!"

While the two were arguing, Sanosuke pulled on the collar of their kimonos and broke them apart easily. "Quiet, or you'll both give our positions away," Sanosuke said, letting them go at the same time.

Saburo bowed quickly and Kanon frowned at herself. Souji eyed to Kyou and then over to Saburo. '_Something just happened_,' Souji told himself, curiously staring to Saburo. '_Was my suspicion correct all along_?' There really was something fishy about Saburo because he was rather easy to read.

But for now, the main issues are the bandits and have Ayumu see a doctor. Then they have to look for Hijikata and the others.

[…^…]

On the way through the town, Ryunosuke glanced around at the citizens. Most of them were in their houses and a few walked about. And then he saw a couple of bandits in their color-coded clothes. It would appear they were patrolling. What was going on? Hopefully the outcome would not be as bad he was thinking.

"Ibuki-san, you're back," an old man's voice called out joyfully.

To the right, Ryunosuke slow the horses a bit and smiled in relief the moment his eyes lay upon an old man with gray hair and small eyes. Dressed in dull blue kimono, he was sitting in a chair and taking a smoke. "Yep, I'm back, Fukui-san," Ryunsouke grinned. "I'm going straight to see Kosuzu so…"

"Go on, lad," the old man waved for him to continue his way. "I heard she was getting better. She would be trilled to see you."

That was great news! Ryunosuke leaned forward when the wagon blocked their eye contact. "I'll come and visit with Kosuzu!" he called happily.

Hajime was glancing to Ryunosuke as the old man bid him well. '_He has been getting along with other people socially as well_,' Hajime thought with very faint smile. Ryunosuke grew up so much over the many months that passed.

Yumeko turned her head to the back of the wagon, staring at the old man as the wagon kept on moving. She saw a child going up to old man named Fukui and they shared bread together. Yumeko slightly envied the sight of them because they seemed to be in such cozy place with one another. '…_I never had that feeling until I met Kanon and Ayumu_,' she thought to herself. Her eyes glanced to Ayumu and her face was a bit emotional.

Observing her, Hajime sensed she was in great pain all of the sudden. But he could not offer words to comfort her. After all, he did not know her very well. Maybe she preferred the silence and he quietly obliged. '…_I hope Hijikata-san is with the others_,' he worried as he narrowed his eyes. Especially Chizuru, she was always around Hijikata Toshizo. Were they out there somewhere and living peacefully now?

"Hey, we're here," Ryunosuke looked back to them. He noticed their depressed faces, but they quickly looked at him calmly. "Go ahead and take that guy to see a doctor first. I'm going to park the wagon to the side of the hospital."

"Thank you," Yumeko said, hurrying to get Ayumu up.

While Hajime led a hand, Ryunosuke waited for them. The two left out the back of the wagon and Hajime carried Ayumu on his back. Yumeko's hand touched Ayumu's face, checking to see if he would respond. But there was nothing. Hajime looked to the hospital to the left. It only had two floors and the building was pretty wide. "Let us go in," he told Yumeko.

She nodded as Ryunosuke drove the wagon off. They both took Ayumu and headed to the entrance together. The front yard had a beautiful garden. There were tall leafy plants and colorful flowers in big brown pots. It felt so welcoming and Yumeko trusted on its aura that was given. As soon as the two of them entered through the doors, an older woman with brown hair looked up at them from the counter. She was dressed in a dark orange uniform and her hair put back in a bun.

"Welcome," she smiled with a bow.

Outside where Ryunosuke was, he had taken the straw hat and jacket off. His kimono was red, black, and orange and his pants were black. He made his way to the front and walked in. He did not see Yumeko and Hajime around, but he could always look for them another time. Walking up to the counter, Ryunosuke asked, "I'm here to see Kosuzu."

"Oh, welcome back, Ibuki-san," the same woman smiled. She tilted her head back, "Go right ahead. She has been getting better."

Ryunosuke smiled a bit, "I heard." And then he walked around the counter and made his way to the right hallway. "Thanks!" he waved a bit and the woman waved back gently. After a couple of steps, he started to jog. He had been dying to see her so bad and he could not wait to tell her he made enough to pay for the hospital fees.

Heading up the dark wooden stairs now, he soon reached to a door near by and slides it open. He smiled a bit wider when Kosuzu was drinking hot water by her. She looked up quietly and he walked in. "Ryunosuke," she smiled softly.

"How are you feeling?" he grinned, moving down to sit by her. Even if people were saying she was getting better, he wanted to hear it for himself.

Her hand moved to her mouth as she giggled. "I'm fine," she replied. He reached for her head and patted her head gently. "The doctor said I could leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?" he asked, resting his hands on his lap. He did not think she would get better so soon. Finally, they can work together again. He missed her so much! She set her half-emptied cup to the side and gazed to him warmly. "Hey…" his voice lowered and his eyes more serious. "Have the bandits come here at all?"

Kosuzu blinked, "…What bandits?" She had not heard of anything because it had been quite peaceful as of late.

Ryunosuke sighed in ease, "Good… then that means they hadn't cause too much trouble inside the houses and other places."

She tilted her head, "Did something happen?"

Not wanting her to worry, he suggested, "Get lots of rest. We can talk again later." He stood up, but then she grabbed for his hand. So he paused as he kneeled. "What's wrong?" he inquired. She looked a bit worried.

"…If there are bandits around, please be careful," she quietly said. Her fingers slid off his hand, but she held his fingers for a moment. "If it gets out of hand, don't do anything too reckless. Okay?"

He had to crack a smile, but the silence felt awkward. The two of them hated people who bullied the weak, but they were rather powerless themselves. What could they do? He nodded, "Promised. But—"

"Wait until I get better at least," she smiled genuinely. "I don't want you to run off without me."

Ryunosuke slightly blushed and gripped on her fingers gently. "Yeah," he grinned back, almost like an idiot.

"Oh, what fearless lovers." The two in the room turned their eyes to stranger who had an eye patch. The door was opened, so the man was just standing there, rubbing the back of his purple hair. "How cute," he grinned. "Makes me wish I had someone special too."

"…Um," Ryunosuke slowly stood up and turned to face him. "Is there something you want?"

"Nope, just passing by," the man chuckled, walking backwards. "Sorry for interrupting. Go back to your lovely aura of romance."

Ryunosuke flushed and wanted to give the man a good smack on the head. But Kosuzu was giggling and Ryunosuke calmed right away. Looking back to her, he said, "I'll be right back. Do you want anything to eat? I'll go and get your favorites."

She smiled up to him and replied, "It's fine. I already ate."

"Oh, okay," he nodded, blinking. "Then I'm going to check on my friends. I brought them here to the hospital with me."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Friends you brought here?" What did he mean by that? She had known him to be rather hot-tempered, yet loyal, and the people would not able to work well with him. He grinned happily and she had a feeling he was excited about something, so she smiled wider and relaxed herself.

"Friends from the well known Shinsengumi," Ryunosuke told her.

"Oh?" her mouth covered her mouth. "That's great! They're here?"

Ryunosuke tilted his head, shaking his head, "Just Saito-san and a couple of his friends. One of them is hurt, so I assisted them here."

She nodded, proud of his action, "I see. Then you go to them. I'm sure you're worried as well."

Indeed he was. He waved and left out the door. Before sliding it closed, he smiled one more time. "Don't forget to get more sleep," he wanted to say.

Kosuzu sighed with her eyes smiling to him. She had more than enough sleep already, but she wanted him to feel no trouble. "I will," she nodded softly. Then he closed the door. She listened to his footsteps leaving down the stairs. Taking her cup of water, she suddenly heard movements beyond the window outside to her right. She turned to look and stared at it cautiously. No shadows. Nothing happened and she kept her breath steady. '…_Was someone there_?' she asked herself, sitting very still.

The world had been very restless after the war. Many wanted to believe it was well again. But Kosuzu did not want to trust everything was fine as Ryunosuke wanted to make it as. It was better to stay alerted than to think peace was finally here.

[…^…]

An hour passed already. The bandits at the gates saw Sanosuke, Kyou, and Saburo down on the path. Souji and Kanon were watching their friends closely. The spot they were hiding was closer than what they hid an hour ago. When their three friends were close enough, the bandits talked to them for a bit. And then they let them through without troubles. Kanon sighed and Souji looked to her without much concern.

"What should we do to kill time?" Kanon questioned, looking back at him. The two of them were hiding behind different trees, which were more than two yards away from each other.

He shrugged, "…Spar?"

"I'm too anxious to do something like that," she looked away with complete boredom.

Souji snickered at her and leaned against the tree with his shoulder. "Are you afraid now?" he taunted. She gave him a flat expression and he smirked. "Kidding. We should save our strength when it gets dark."

She snapped her fingers to point at him, "My thoughts exactly… but it's going to be a while though. What should we do to kill time?" She had to ask again because he did not have a satisfying answer. And before he even tried to think of something, she inquired, "Tell me about Shinseeeeeen… gumi?"

He blinked at her and she blankly stared back at him. "No," he said, looking away.

Sighing heavily, she walked off and he turned at her back. "Let's go for a walk then," she said. "Come on, Souji!"

What was her problem? She really cannot sit still, could she? Souji frowned and moved to follow her. '_I didn't want to talk about the Shinsengumi_,' he mentally said to himself. It would only bring back painful memories that would never return and be the same again. He stared at the ground as he walked slowly. '…_Kondou-san_.' His death was still a heavy blow on Souji.

He was upset the first time when Hijikata was unable to project their leader. And how Hijikata had gone missing made him even madder. And Chizuru was always with him. Was she missing too? Is everyone safe and sound? It was so frustrating… Souji started to feel the urge to search for them, but he was stuck being with Kanon because of her power. Just how long would they have to be stuck together anyway? Forever? So many things were annoying him now. Just how much harder could life get?

"Souji?" He stopped walking and almost ran into her body. She was looking up at his green eyes curiously with her arms folded to her chest. "Are you okay?" she inquired.

Her voice was rather gentle this time. His muscles relaxed from tensing up from hearing her calling his name. "I'm fine," he assured her, smirking a bit.

'_But you looked so damn sad_,' she squinted her eyes at him. But if he did not want to say it, she would leave him be. "Well, we can't walk far either. Saburo got through the town… so maybe…" She walked around Souji and her eyes studied tall wall of the town. Souji glanced back to her and she faced him again. "Let's make our way to the back."

"…Whatever you like," he shrugged uncaringly.

She smiled at how easy he was listening now and she skipped backwards. "Okay, you better follow me," she expressed happily.

Souji scoffed, "Uh-huh…" He did not care what she wanted. He only wanted to get this over with. And then with a curious thought, he inquired, "Kanon, didn't you say we can't be more than half a mile from you? What if Saburo walks too far?"

"That's why I told Saburo to be with Sanosuke, who can sense presences, and at the same time, Saburo can lend a helping hand if Kyou runs off by himself," she replied with a snort. "Did you actually think I wasn't using my head?"

"Nope," he grinned. She was really thinking ahead? Too good to be true.

She snapped her head to him and the both were still walking. "Don't look down on me," she pouted, looking away. "People would hate you if you press them too hard."

Souji snickered, "I don't care what people think of me." She frowned. "Besides, you know how to deal with me. I'm not afraid of being hated at all."

"Ha, you make it sound like if everyone hates you, friends are all you needed," she said out loud.

He blinked and thought about what she said. It was pretty much correct. And obvious. He thought back about taking her kindness for granted. Maybe he should really try to get along with her a little bit more. "Then that means we're friends," Souji grinned. He would rather say that than to thank her properly. He had no desire to see her anymore conceited than she was.

She faked a laughed, "Huh, I don't know about that, but sure, I don't mind. I don't think I would hate you that much. I never really hated anyone at all."

"Because you shut yourself in your little village," he joked with a grin.

"I don't hate anyone," she glared to him, getting irritated.

For her not to hate, her kindness could not be at _that_ level. Souji truly did not believe there were people like her around here. But she was still young. Perhaps that would be the reason why she never encountered anyone she hated. "There has to be someone you hate at least," he thought out loud with a frown.

Kanon shook her head, "Nope. No one. Hating doesn't feel good anyway. And it makes the world go around… I do argue, but not enough to hate." Souji returned a disbelieved expression. "Geez, what kind of world were you living in?"

Not a pleasant one, but he refused to answer. There was no point discussing this. He grew quiet and she started to ignore him. The two of them made their way around the town from a distance, with Kanon still leading. Souji let out a sigh with a thought, '_Why do I get a sudden feeling Sano-san purposely put the two of us together_?' Wait. Sanosuke was not that kind of person. This was a serious situation… But what if Sanosuke did intend on it?

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Thanks for reading!


	14. Omake 2

_Omake 2!_

**Time frame**: a bit before Chapter 9

**Requested/Idea by**: Aen Silver Fire

Enjoy!

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In a small dry farm field, Saburo was dressed in ragged clothes, digging up dirt to make a human grave with the rusted shovel. The sunray burned his skin, but he will not rest. He definitely will not rest. Absolutely not! For today was the day his mother was selling his sister away to a stranger who laid his eyes on his sister just yesterday. That was why Saburo was digging, a grave for that very man who would take his sister away.

"I will not allow you to sell our daughter to that playboy!" Sanosuke raised his voice to his wife.

Sitting on the chair in the kitchen, Yumeko was calm and simply stared at him. Sanosuke was furious because Yumeko did the 'marriage arrangement' behind his back. "But darling, we cannot pay for last month's fee," she reasoned, staring blankly. "And I'm doing this for Kanon's own good."

"How is forcing our daughter to marry, her own good?" Sanosuke demanded, slamming his hand on the table to his left.

Yumeko chuckled, "For one, the man's rich. She'll live a good life. Believe me."

"But he's a playboy!"

"Is that your only comeback?"

Ayumu entered into the kitchen while his sister and her husband were still arguing as if he was not here. Grabbing a bottle of sake by the stove, Ayumu walked out the back door causally and went to meet up with his brother, Kyou. They both stood under the shades of a tall tree. "Here," Ayumu handed the bottle to Kyou.

With a smirk, Kyou's eyes were gazing over to Saburo, who was on the other side of the field. Kyou took the bottle from Ayumu while he asked, "What do you think our nephew's doing?"

"Something immature, I'm sure," Ayumu said indifferently, rubbing the sweat behind his neck.

Kyou snickered, taking a gulp of sake and let out a happy sigh. Wiping his mouth with a grin, he glanced to Ayumu curiously. "What do you think of our niece getting married off today, eh?" he inquired. Ayumu had not expressed his opinions on it, even if everything was just decided yesterday.

"It'll be good for us," Ayumu nodded without any eye contact. "She's too loud because she's always playing with Saburo. …What great relief it would be when she's gone."

Laughing a little, Kyou gazed back to Saburo. "Aren't we a loving family?" he joked with a smirk. "Oh." Kyou caught sight of the groom in refined clothes coming up on the hill of their farm. "Looks like he's here early."

When Ayumu finally looked over, Saburo had charged with his rusted shovel while screaming, "Okita Souji, DIEEEEEEE!"

When the shovel was swung to Souji's face, he simply bowed forward to dodge it. Saburo had used a lot of force, so he fell forward and landed on his face. Souji smirked and continued walking toward the house. "Hey~!" Souji happily called out. "I'm here for my wife!"

Ayumu turned to walk toward a barn further back. Kyou heard Sanosuke's angry voice and he was not able to see Souji, who must have walked into the house. Drinking more sake, Kyou made his way to the front of the house, hoping to stop Saburo from attacking Souji again.

In the house, Yumeko was holding Sanosuke back with ropes tied around his ankles. He was on his stomach and she was sitting on top of him. Souji had gone through the hall in the house and he was humming with a smirk. Yumeko tied the powerless Sanosuke's wrists together behind him and kept him locked on the ground. "Darling, stop resisting," Yumeko patted on his head, flattening her face to him. "Okita-sama had already paid for Kanon."

"You can't be doing this to our daughter, Yumeko!" Sanosuke retorted, panicking and kicking around. The rope around his feet slowly loosened.

When Souji came back out, he was carrying Kanon on his right shoulder. A rope was tied her from her neck to her ankles and a piece of cloth was in her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Souji waved goodbye when he exited the front door. "Alright, I'll bring the woman over once we get marry and have kids!" he lightly laughed, throwing his head back.

Sanosuke looked up and saw the tears in Kanon's eyes, begging for help. "KANON!" Sanosuke yelled in agony. And in that split second, Sanosuke roughly moved to the side to get the heavy Yumeko off of him. She fell on her side with a loud thud and Sanosuke got up on his feet while his wrists were still bounded to his back. Sanosuke rushed out the door, but then a foot came out of nowhere and Sanosuke tripped on it, falling down on his stomach.

"Sorry, Harada," Kyou smirked, throwing the emptied bottle to the side. "But we already accepted the money and we can't go back on our words."

"You too, brother-in-law?!" Sanosuke shot a glare at him, getting up.

As the two men started to get into a fistfight, Saburo had run with the shovel in his hands again. "Let my sister go!" Saburo exclaimed with a fierce look, charging rather blindly.

Souji turned his body to the left a bit and Kanon's legs hit Saburo's face first. He fell on his back and instantly fell unconscious. Kanon made loud noises, angrily moving about. Souji held her legs in place and soon Ayumu greeted him, bringing a white horse with behind him. "Oh, why thank you," Souji smirked, throwing Kanon on the horse first.

At the same time as Kanon glared at her uncle, Ayumu, he did not seem to care about the tears in her eyes. "Have fun, Kanon," Ayumu patted on her head roughly. "May happiness be with you."

She wanted to bite his hand off so much and then she screamed through the cloth when Souji moved to sit on the horse with her in front of him. He patted on her back and his eyes gazed over to Sanosuke, who was being held back by Kyou and Yumeko. "It's been fun meeting all of you!" Souji grinned, turning the horse and begun going away.

"Come back here, you bastard!" Sanosuke shouted. Kyou was holding both of his arms from the back and Yumeko was pushing against Sanosuke's chest. "Don't you dare take her away!"

The horse started to gallop and the cold wind filled with Souji's laughter.

The cold wind? Was it not summer?

Souji's head bobbed down and he opened his sleepy eyes. He realized he was sitting with his back against the cabin where Ayumu, Yumeko, and Kanon were in. To his left slept Saburo. After completely grasping his surroundings, Souji slowly looked up and squinted his eyes. '…_What in the world did I just dreamed_?' he asked himself.

* * *

**Author's note**: I am sure a lot of them were out of character here, but some dreams do that. Hopefully this was somewhat satisfying to read because I lost inspiration at the end… and I didn't want this to be too long. 8D

Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**To Aen Silver Fire**: I hope you had a great weekend! I looked at our messages and I'm like, "Gosh, I miss you!" By the time you come back home, I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter! Thank you so much for reading and leaving your thoughts in the reviews!

**To Everyone**: And I want to thank those who took the time to read, follow, and favorite as well!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 12**

The sun was already setting in the sky. On the roof of a three-story inn, Kyou watched the clouds go by while standing up. Slightly to the left below him, Sanosuke was leaning forward on a small wooden balcony of the third floor and his golden eyes were glowing, glancing from right to left. Saburo was sitting on the wooden railing, kicking his legs back and forth to shake off his worries.

"How's it looking, Harada?" Kyou brought his eyes down below feet.

In Sanosuke's eyes, he adjusted the light of the townspeople's presences to a minimum to search for bandits around the area. All the buildings were dark in his vision and the lights of the bandits gathered up ahead. He had already noted most of them were going to the brothel, which was only filled with bandits and women. "Looks like the 'party' is in the town's only red light district," Sanosuke's eyes stopped glowing and he closed his eyelids with a sigh. "There are a few groups of bandits patrolling the streets too."

"You okay?" Saburo blinked to him. Sanosuke was using his power for a long time. "Don't overdo yourself. We can't constantly use our power like that."

Kyou was sneering and Sanosuke rubbed between his eyes. "I just…" Sanosuke mumbled. "I'm worried for Hajime and the others…" He was keeping an eye on them at the hospital, which was only two miles away. "At least they're still safe…"

"Well, where's Yuma?" Kyou bent his knees, looking down to him. "And do you think that man named Ren is here too?" Those two men should feel honored since Kyou was bothering to remember their names.

Frowning with unease, Sanosuke nodded once, "Yes. They're both here." It made him wondered, but maybe the two of them were just resting in town. But how would that explain Yuma talking to the bandits? Nevertheless, they should all be careful and Sanosuke would make sure to keep Yuma and Ren in check with his power.

"Are those two at the brothel?" Saburo questioned out of pure curiosity.

Sanosuke shook his head, "No. But they're next door… Not sure what that house is though." Yuma and Ren were staying in a one-floor house, but there was no one else with them. "I can't locate who's the leader either…"

Kyou smirked, grabbing his gun into his hand. "At least you found their weaponry," he said, content enough. "Saito and Yumeko should already know we found it too. We'll just wait for the sky to get darker and then BAM!"

Flinching, Saburo sighed heavily, "Violence… why must it be the only thing people have to do?"

Glancing to him with a chuckle, Sanosuke said, "I have to agree with you, Saburo. But it won't hurt to clean up the bandits a bit. Peace is still far off." Saburo nodded and stared blankly at the dark sky silently. Sanosuke looked up too and wondered about Souji and Kanon. The last time he checked the two of them headed to the back gates of the town. They should be sneaking in soon because the town gates were closed and locked shut.

[…^…]

The crescent moon was in the clear sky. Souji and Kanon walked toward the gate quietly. They heard faint voices echoing from the town and there were dogs barking. Just about some meters from the gate, Kanon put her hands on her hips as she lifted her chin to the high wall. It was tall indeed. Could Souji actually throw her up there?

He pressed his hand on her back and pushed her forward. "Are you ready?" he asked with a smug smirk on his face.

Stumbling, she balanced herself with her arms waving and then she quickly looked at him with light glare. "Of course I am," she said. "But can you really lift me up all the way up there?"

"Yeah," he nodded, smirking wider. "I'll go closer to the gate. Why don't you go over there and then run to me? I'll prepare myself to give you lift… so you better not break a bone when landing on the other side."

She had to laugh, "Haha! Really, you're that strong? Must be convenient to be a 'Rasetsu' now that you have me around." She proudly pounded on her chest.

Souji rolled his eyes, smiling, "Yeah, whatever. Come on." She nodded and jogged over to him. He was walking too, but before she passed him, he grabbed her arm. "Hey, tie your hair up," he told her, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?" she looked back at him, confused.

He let her arm go and flicked her hair off her shoulder. "Because it'll get in the way," he said, frowning. "You're good at close range fighting, aren't you? Keep your hair _short_ if you're not going to tie it up." He noticed she NEVER tied it up. Even Hijikata would tied his long hair up.

Kanon gave him a strange look. "…No. I'm not going to cut it."

"Then tie it up," he said again, putting a hand on his hip. His eyes were a bit cold and he felt as though he was handling with a child.

"But I don't have a hair bind," she blinked. Souji looked at her with irritation and grabbed something between his stomach and his waistband. When he pulled something out, she realized it was the cloth she tore from her sleeve to tend to Souji's wound when he told Hajime to practice his power on him. Souji held it up to her and she pouted. "…I don't know _how_ to tie my hair…"

"Are you serious?" Souji had a big frown. He grabbed her arm and forced her to twirl around. When he was about to grab her hair, she turned back and glared. "Just stay still," he pushed her shoulder to have her back turned to him.

She felt him taking her hair with two hands. "Why do I have to tie it up for?" she questioned, a bit upset. "It's not that big of a deal. I can fight just fine. And did you even wash that thing you're going to tie my hair with?"

"Man, your hair's all tangled up," Souji sighed tiredly, ignoring her remarks. His hand smoothed against her head and with the strip of cloth in his hand, he begun to tie it high on her head. "You should start carrying a comb around too." She loved to move around too much, so it was only necessary to have a comb nearby. But why would he have to tell her that?

"No need," Kanon flattened her eyes. When he was done, she turned around and touched her high ponytail. He looked at her with a satisfied grin and nodded in approval. "You weirdo."

Souji had a vein on his head, "If Yumeko-chan was here, I'd take her knife and cut that hair of yours right now."

"You wouldn't!" she retorted to his threat. She moved her left foot to stomp on his right foot, but he stepped away as if he knew what she had in mind. "I like long hair!"

"If you do, then take better care of it," Souji snickered. Kanon cursed under her breathe and he asked, "May I ask why you like your hair long? Sure, it's pretty, but you keep it in a mess. And you're not the type to have long hair."

While folding her arms to her chest, she turned away angrily with a pout. Her long hair moved and touched against her back for a second. "…Because Aunt Akiko had long hair," she mumbled a bit shyly, fixing her glare to the darkness around them. Souji blinked and had a long pause. "And I feel a little closer to her if I keep my hair long… okay?!" she snapped her head at him.

Souji was a bit stunned and she was still glaring. What she said reminded him about his old hairstyle, which imitated Kondou's hairstyle back then. When Kanon softened her expression into a puzzled look, Souji chuckled, "I see. Didn't know you actually had that kind of a reason. It's almost cute."

She blushed with embarrassment, "Whatever! It's about time we hurry and get into town!"

He watched her walk further away and he smiled. Turning around, he made his way to the gate. Standing close enough, he made sure there would be extra room just in case he felt like throwing her into the wall for the fun of it. Souji turned around and she was standing ten meters away, ready when he was. Then he bent his knees a bit, his palm over the other, arms straight down his chest. Being all set, he said, "Okay."

Kanon soon dashed toward him. Within four meters, she stared at Souji's hair color that changed to white and his eyes becoming red. The moonlight made this hair glow a bit and the soft beauty of the light captivated her. And then her body ran right into him, almost making him fall back. "OW!" she rubbed her nose that slammed against his chest.

Her foot slipped too and he helped her stand up. "What are you doing?" Souji quietly looked at her annoyingly.

With her arms slipping away from his aid, she stood up on her own and rubbed her nose. "Sorry, sorry," she said, turning around to jog off.

Souji dryly stared at her back and wondered what got her to make her first complete fail. When she distanced herself, she rubbed her nose and gave him thumbs up. "You better do it right this time," he told her, preparing with the same position again.

"Yeah, I got it!" she blushed a bit. Afterward, she giggled at herself for a second and started to dash once again. His hair was still white and she tried to focus on jumping. The moment she was close enough, her right foot rose and stepped on Souji's palms. He used his strength and easily gave her the lift into the air. Her body flew up quite fast and she narrowed her eyes to the top of the wall. The wind felt nice too. A random thought, but Kanon made sure to paid attention.

The walls were probably about five-story high. When her body slowed in the air, her hand reached to edge of the top wall and she moved to get up on of it. It was wide enough for her whole body. Glancing back, she saw Souji waving to her. Kanon hurried and looked around for a safe landing. Her eyes caught sight of Saburo to the right, who was down a block and she smiled when he waved his hand joyfully to her quietly. Kanon got up and ran along the wall and Saburo begun running over to her from the street.

The back gate opened and Souji was surprised to see Sanosuke, who was smiling rather mischievously. "Um… Sano-san?" Souji narrowed his eyes.

"Did you give her a proper thank yet?" Sanosuke smiled wider. Kanon leaped from the top of the wall and Saburo jumped into the air.

"…You set up me?" Souji smirked, snickering. He walked through the door and passed Sanosuke. "I didn't thank her at all. Your plan failed."

Sanosuke laughed lightly and closed the gate. "Oh well, I tried," he grinned, locking it up.

Souji blinked when he saw a shadow heading off in his direction. He looked up just as Saburo caught Kanon into his arms and Saburo landed safely a few ways to Souji's right. '_I still can't believe this_,' Souji frowned. For him to fall for Sanosuke's plan, Souji could not help but want to hit his own head over and over about it.

Saburo let Kanon's feet reach the ground and she looked to Souji and Sanosuke. "Kanon-san, why did you put up your hair?" Saburo smiled with curiosity. It made almost made her look a bit of a tomboy. Or a samurai even. And he was trying not to laugh at her.

Looking as if she read Saburo's mind, Kanon ignored him and her eyes questioningly stared to Sanosuke, who was blinking with a grin. "Wait, Sanosuke if you were going to open up the gate yourself…" she slowly pointed. Did they just waste their effort to sneak into town?

"Shh," Sanosuke's eyes glowed. He glanced to his right and he saw the three lights of the bandits' presences. Right after, Sanosuke looked back to his friends. "The night patrols are coming from over there. Let's meet up at the inn down west."

"Later," Saburo winked to Kanon.

"Wha…" Kanon blinked. Sanosuke and Saburo both ran off at the same time.

Souji was staring dryly to Sanosuke's back. There was no point in splitting up, though it would be easier to hide than to be in a group. Yet Souji felt Sanosuke was doing this on purpose. '_Whatever_,' Souji thought. He and Kanon should get into hiding instead of looking where Sanosuke and Saburo had run off. Souji hurried to Kanon and took her hand. "Just don't stand there," he whispered loudly, dragging her a bit. She soon got her pace to match his and they ran into a dark alley together.

[…^…]

Kyou jumped through the opened window and landed in a hospital room. He stood up as Yumeko closed the window shut. "We already located their weaponry," Kyou smirked, his eyes looking around the room.

Hajime was standing by the door of the room and Ayumu was lying down on a mattress with a white blanket over his body. Ayumu was shirtless and there were bandages around his chest. Some blood had leaked a bit, but he seemed to be breathing a little more with ease. "When do we strike?" Yumeko asked, walking to Kyou as quietly as possible.

"Whenever you're ready," Kyou nodded to her.

She nodded back and went to kneeled down by Ayumu. Patting on his forehead, she told him, "I'll be right back. Rest well for now."

Hajime glanced to the door and slightly opened it to take a peek. He recalled back when Ryunosuke met up with them in the hospital earlier today, but Hajime advised that they should not been seen together too much. Or Yuma or Ren would notice and could possibly harm Kosuzu. "Lead us there, Shiranui," Hajime glanced to him.

"Alright," Kyou smirked, readying to start up the action.

[…^…]

In a small house, which seemed abandoned and emptied, Kanon peeked through a small opening of a window. She saw more bandits at the far end on the left and closed it. She moved to the table nearby and sat across from Souji, who seemed completely bored. The two of them could not even make their way to the inn Sanosuke told them about. The bandits seemed to be patrolling almost every corner in groups of three all of the sudden. As easily as Souji could take them out, he had a feeling there were too much bandits.

Staring at the moonlight on the paper window, Souji leaned his chin in his palm, elbow on the table. Kanon turned to look at him as she stared at his brown hair. And then she recalled his white hair. "What?" Souji questioned, though he did not look at her. His eyes only gazing to the paper window. He was actually thinking about when Saburo caught Kanon in the air. They seemed really close when that happened.

"Can I see you as a Rasetsu again?" Kanon blinked, leaning forward. The table was only half a yard long and wide.

Souji glanced as their eyes met. She was staring rather innocently. He could only frown in return. "If I use it, my life span shortens," he told her. "And from what it seems, you don't like to heal me often."

She smiled, "Aw, don't worry about that. When it looks like you're about to die, I'll heal you before it happens." Souji rolled his eyes. After a few seconds of waiting, she figured he would not do it for her amusement. "Come on. I promised!"

"Why do you want to see me as a Rasetsu for?" he let out a dull sigh.

Failing to notice his troubled expression, Kanon chuckled, "I think your white hair looks beautiful in the light of the moon."

Beginning to call to mind, he strangely looked at her. She smiled, blinking a couple of times. She thought his hair looked pretty in the moonlight? Was that why she missed the first step when he was going to give her a lift over the wall? Kanon eyebrows slowly narrowed and she was about to be disappointed. "You owe me," he smirked.

She nodded and he gave her a quick dry look. He was probably hoping for her to shut up, but it appeared she really wanted to see his white hair. "As long as it's not impossible to do, then I'll owe you," she gave her word.

Once again, Souji sighed and his eyes closed. "I'm kidding, you don't have to owe me," he said. She had done a lot for him and his friends already. Souji had not forgotten his illness being cured and walking in the daylight as a Rasetsu. There was another silence and she patiently waited. "…Does me looking like a monster pleases you?" he inquired, still resting his eyes closed.

"What monster?" she snorted, shaking her head. He opened his eyes and leaned more weight on his palm to hold his head. "Oh, did I call you that before? I don't think I actually did. Besides I do think your white hair looks beautiful in the moonlight, so it's okay to like a monster's beauty."

Giving her an irritated look, he was quiet again. She was still smiling like a child and then slightly moved her shoulders from side to side, as if she needed to go to the restroom. Souji's eyes closed halfway. And then after another moment, his eyes turned red and his hair turned pure white. Kanon laughed a little, as if she won a conversation, and she moved her arms on the table. Bringing her palms to rest her chin between them, her fingers tapped her cheeks and she stared at the faint moonlight on his hair. He stared at her eyes, which only watched his white hair. A small breeze forced its way through the window's crack and made his bangs tickle his eyes, but he did not bother to move them away. He was too busy staring at her blue eyes.

But then her question disturbed his silent thoughts, "Souji, can I touch your hair?"

He blinked, "Mm?"

Her right hand moved and she raised it in midair. "I want to touch your hair," she grinned, her fingers waved to him.

How much of a kid could she get? Shrugging, he said, "Sure, go ahead." Her hand did not hesitate and he slightly watched where her hand was going. She softly tapped her two fingers on his bangs on his left cheek. And then her hand patted on his head while she squealed quietly and her feet tapped on the ground excitedly, but slowly. "Weird brat," he smirked a bit.

Kanon snapped her eyes at him, "Stop calling me that, Souji. I'm not a brat."

"Oh, really?" he snickered. Her hand ran through his hair a bit and he felt a shiver around the back of his neck. "…Kanon."

She looked at him, "Yes?"

He just wanted to call her name, but it made him wonder. When did they both started to use each other's first names without any honorifics? Was it out of disrespect? He felt like he had forgotten when and how. And where. She frowned when he did not answer her and she retreated her hand. However, he seized it with his free hand and tugged it a bit. Kanon stared at him blankly. Souji's eyes widened a bit and he let her hand go.

"Want me to pat more?" she chuckled, her hand moving back closer. Her fingertips almost touched a strand of his hair.

Souji took a moment to respond when he seemed puzzled when he had taken her hand. "I'm good," he said quietly. His hair and eye color returned back to normal and she suddenly wore an upside down smile. He grinned at her expression, "If you want to see it again, tell me what my power is." Maybe that would shut her up given that she did not want to tell him what it was.

"Huh, never mind then," she stick her tongue at him.

'_Such a brat_,' he thought indifferently. When her hands went down to her lap, his heart dropped for a second. Just thinking about how he grabbed her hand made his mind raced a bit. '…_Are you kidding me_?' he looked away, squinting his eyes. No way. His head leaned more weight on his palm. There was no way he was having _that_ particular feeling toward Kanon. Just as his eyes blinked out the window, he saw shadows of black smokes going up in the air on the paper window.

Kanon stood up first and leaned close to the window to open it. There were smokes in the distant. "Looks like Yumeko started," she narrowed her eyes.

"Alright then," Souji chuckled, moving his hand and placing it on the table. Pushing himself up lazily, he stretched his arms. Letting out a relieved sigh, he turned his body away and looked to her. "Let's hurry and go find Sano-san at the inn." She nodded at him with a glance. "Don't mess this up now."

She flatly stared at him and he walked off first. Going around the table, she hurried after him without trying to feel offended.

[…^…]

Dreaming of the past again, Ayumu tried hard to wake himself up. His eyes saw a scene he had also forgotten. In the nameless village, there was Kanon, Yumeko, Saburo, and Ayumu and they all sat around a campfire. While they were doing most of the talking, Ayumu was quiet and only stared at the flames. But shortly, his sister raised a subject.

"How do you make babies anyway?" Kanon blinked, glancing to Saburo who sat to her right. Across from her was Ayumu and Yumeko was to Kanon's left.

"Gah—Wha?" Saburo slightly blushed, snapping his head back and forth to everyone. He did not desire to answer such a question. Nor did he want to even go further into the conversation.

With an emotionless expression, Yumeko gladly explained, "Well, you will need to marry first."

Kanon nodded, "Oh. Okay."

Saburo pouted to her, "Why are you asking such a question, Kanon-san?"

She was not able to understand why Saburo was uncomfortable with them talking about making babies. "Because I want this village to grow again," she blinked at him. Kanon was a bit clueless though, which was why she bothered to ask them. "Saburo, do you want to marry me someday to make this village grow?"

He blushed harder and could not utter a word.

Ayumu frowned, "_Ba_-Kanon, stop being such an idiot."

She glared to him, her feelings hurt. "What's wrong with marrying and making babies?!" she restored. "I want a family again!"

"Do you even know how a husband and a wife _produce_ a baby together?" Ayumu squinted his eyes at her. Obviously, Kanon shook her head 'no' and Ayumu had a long sigh. "You do more than just sleeping next to each other. Much, much more."

Yumeko glanced to Ayumu, "And how would you know?"

"Shut up, Yumeko," he lightly glared to her. Yumeko had a short chuckle and looked away, pretending to be innocent.

Puzzled, Kanon turned her had back to Saburo. His face was still as red as an apple and he kept his mouth shut. She started to snicker and Saburo pouted again, keeping his eyes on the fire. "Saburo, when I'm ready to get marry, will you let me be your princess?" she smiled, teasing a bit.

He stared at her blankly while Ayumu and Yumeko glanced over to them. There was still a long pause until Saburo felt comfortable enough with the idea. "…Okay," Saburo grinned happily. "…Kanon-hime!"

With a smile, Kanon shook her head at him like he was a child and moved her eyes over to Yumeko, "When Saburo and I get married, why don't you and Ayumu get married too?"

"Who'd marry her?" Ayumu gave his sister the evil eye. Kanon pouted childishly in return.

Yumeko flatly stared at him, "And who'd marry you? We're seven years apart. I'm not interested in a little boy."

"…You hag," Ayumu shot her an annoyed glare.

"Hey, that's not nice, Ayumu!" Kanon raised her voice, getting up from her seat. "Yumeko's still young!" She almost looked as young as Kanon too.

Soon, the dream of the memory was interrupted. Ayumu started to hear a familiar voice. Ryunosuke's voice? Ayumu was not certain, but he remembered he was Sanosuke's friend. And it sounded like Ryunosuke was yelling up on the second floor. And it sounded like he was in trouble. Shortly after that, Ayumu heard a girl's alarming voice.

'_Get up_,' Ayumu told himself. He felt his eyelids and his finger twitching. His body was in pain and his left leg, the wound where Yuma inflicted on him, as well as the wound over his cheat, was hurting because his muscles stiffened to move. '…_Get up_!'

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**To Aen Silver Fire**: I cherish our time together. I hope you will feel better soon. This chapter and story is inspired by your kind words.

Enjoy reading.

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 13**

In the room where Kosuzu was, Ryunosuke had just visited with the door opened. She was sitting up on her bed as if she was waiting for him. When she smiled to greet him, in that very moment, someone had crashed into though the paper window with loud thud. With a startled look on his face, Ryunosuke rushed forward as the moonlight was reflected on the presence of a long katana. "Kosuzu!" Ryunosuke reached for her.

The sound of the blade cut through the heavy, cool air. Kosuzu let out a short cry, but then Ryunosuke tackled her down to her side on the ground and the sharp edge cut the ends of his bangs. Ryunosuke's arms covered her body as he saw the katana turned back around for them in an instant. He stared at the man, who appeared to be in his thirties, and he wore light black-armored clothes. His brown hair, tied up in a long ponytail and his bangs pulled back in the tie. His serious, deep eyes were orange, revealing a sign of devotion in his stare.

"Ryunosuke!" Kosuzu shouted under him. The katana pierced into Ryunosuke's left arm. He was not able to dodge in time, but he kicked the man in the black armor's hand, which was holding the katana. "You're bleeding!"

The katana flew out of the man's hand when Ryunosuke gave it a good kick. The man ignored his katana because Ryunosuke got up to punch at the man. Catching Ryunosuke's fist, the man pulled on the fist and he faced to Ryunosuke closely. "Why the hell are you attacking us for?!" Ryunosuke shouted in his face, glaring with demanding eyes.

The man did not answer. His strong grip took Ryunosuke by surprise, pulling him over and then flipping Ryunosuke in the air once. As Ryunosuke fell on his back, the man saw Kosuzu moving toward his katana. She quickly stopped to stand up when the man walked to his katana calmly. "Who are you?" she narrowed her eyes to the stranger, her hand over her chest. She was feeling more ill because of the attack the man attempted.

Ryunosuke reached and grabbed for the man's leg. "Kosuzu, get out of here!" he shouted.

Before she could retort, a black wind burst out from the floor. It was right under the man, but then he kicked Ryunosuke away and evaded it in time. While Ryunosuke rolled away and Kosuzu backing a few steps as she covered her eyes, the wind carried Ayumu into their room from the lower floor and his eyes glared at the man who looked right back at him, carrying an unfazed expression on his face.

As the wind from nowhere disappeared, Ayumu spun in midair to kick the man in his face. But the man rushed backwards and kicked up the handle of his long katana, catching it in his right hand. "They didn't say you were awake," the man's deep voice frowned. And what was that black wind?

Ayumu's feet landed on the ground, but he trembled down on his left palm. "Who are you talking about?" Ayumu glared. Kosuzu rushed to Ryunosuke's side and helped him up. "Are you working for Haru?"

The man walked backwards, slightly lifting up his chin to look down at Ayumu. "Since the plan failed here, I have no use to stick around," he stated. And then he turned around, heading out of the broken window.

Glaring harder, Ayumu pushed himself up. He wanted to go after him to get answers, but Ayumu only fell on his knees and he groaned in pain as he touched his left leg. "God, damn this shit," he cursed, wincing.

"H-Hey," Ryunosuke went to his side. Kosuzu coughed in the background as Ryunosuke helped Ayumu. "How did you get up here?! …Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ayumu glared to the window. He started to hear voices and felt trouble was brewing. He even saw smokes in the sky. "We… have to get out of here," he mumbled, lowering his head and shut his eyes. He was about to tell his wounds were bleeding again and staying here would mean danger to them.

"But, what about others?" Kosuzu walked in front of them, looking at the two of them with concerned.

Ryunosuke nodded, "We still have to wait for Saito's return too!"

"But we're out numbered, right?" Ayumu frowned, sweat running down his face. He remembered in his sleep that they were talking about bandits were around the town. They would not stand a chance. Especially when Ryunosuke was injured and Kosuzu looked sick. With a pause, Ayumu had an idea and he grunted to himself. "Let me heal the two of you," Ayumu said, looking up at them to see their eyes.

"Eh?" Kosuzu blinked to him.

Recalling back, Ryunosuke knew of what Kanon was capable of. "Wait, you're going to give us powers?" he inquired, very surprised. His arm still have the fresh wound, and it hurt, but he wanted to be a man about it and pretend the pain was not there. "You're just starting to recover yourself, so forget about us!" Ryusnosuke told him.

Ayumu grabbed for Ryunosuke's shirt and he slammed his forehead against his. Shocked, Kosuzu stared at them quietly and she saw a beautiful white light glowing around the two men. Within a few seconds, Kosuzu could see the wound in Ryunosuke's sleeve. His flesh closed and she was completely awed. When Ayumu pushed Ryunosuke away very forcefully, he grabbed for Kosuzu's hand and dragged her forward.

"Wait a second!" Ryunosuke glared, almost tripping backwards. He ignored his healed wound when Ayumu pressed his forehead on Kosuzu's. Ryunosuke was furious as he stepped forward. "HEY!"

Another short moment passed and Kosuzu felt the warm light leaving. Ayumu let her go and he wobbled to the side, but Ryunosuke caught him rather unwillingly. "Huh?" Kosuzu traced her fingers on her forehead. She felt better now. "…What was that?"

"Who gave you permission to do that?!" Ryunosuke angrily frowned. He was worried for Ayumu's safety and mad for Ayumu touching Kosuzu in such a way.

Groaning, Ayumu touched his chest and studied the two of them carefully. And then a smirk spread across his face. "Good," he mumbled. The couple blinked to him cluelessly. Their powers were useful in their situation. "For now, we have to leave the town," Ayumu informed them. "Sano can always find us later. Hurry, if you don't want your woman to get involved in our mess. We'd only be in our friends' way."

"Ryunosuke?" Kosuzu looked at him, concerned. He was blushing when Ayumu said 'his woman' and she stared at him seriously. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know!" Ryunosuke messed up his own hair, trying to keep himself together. Though, Ayumu was right they should not be around here for long. What if the bandits attack the hospital where other patients were? That entire loud ruckus they made must have woke them up too. Ryunosuke nodded to Ayumu and his eyes over to Kosuzu. "Let's get into our wagon for now," he said.

Kosuzu wanted an explanation but she agreed, "Alright. Let's make haste."

[…^…]

Inside the storage house, Kyou found bullets for himself and reload his gun with pleasure. Behind him was Saburo, who merely looked around without much interest. Over on the other end of the table Kanon picked up light, straight, double-edged short swords and swung one around with her right hand. The handles were golden yellow. Souji picked out one of the many katana laying around and placed it between his body and the waistband. Hajime and Yumeko were keeping their eyes out at different windows for the storage, even if Sanosuke was using his power to keep track of the bandits around them.

"Not good," Sanosuke glared. He was standing by the door, looking out with his glowing eyes. In his left hand was a black spear. "Ryunosuke, Kosuzu, and Ayumu are leaving the hospital."

"What?" Saburo snapped his head to him, completely shocked.

Almost tripping, Kanon rushed to Sanosuke's side. "Is Ayumu okay?" she inquired. Her two short swords were in the sheaths that were under her waistband.

Sanosuke saw the bandits moving all about, which seemed bad. There were a lot more of them than he thought. "Ayumu's fine," Sanosuke nodded, his eyes stopped glowing. He smiled to her and added, "It's seems he's moving around too, but his injuries are not healed yet."

She pouted with watery eyes, "Then I'm going to go off to them first!" She got her weapons. They were ready to fight. "Should we forget about the boss of the bandits and just get out of here?"

"That's actually a good idea right now," Sanosuke nodded, narrowing his eyes. "It's us against troops of bandits… we can't handle them ourselves."

"Oh, but we have Yumeko-chan's flames," Souji smirked, walking over to them. "And Hajime-kun can control water. I think we'll put an end to them just fine."

Kyou snickered, holding onto his gun closely. "Yeah, I say we crush them too," he commented.

"No violence!" Saburo preferred, going to Kanon's side. Yumeko and Hajime quietly approached them too.

Sanosuke frowned and rubbed his right eye. He was using his power too much so it was wearing out. "I can't keep up with this forever," he mumbled. Blinking his eyes, he gave them a serious stare. Before he said anything though…

"You guys aren't going anywhere," Ren called with a light laugh. Glaring outside, Sanosuke opened the door wider. Ren was just right outside and behind him were about thirty men. The fire in the sky was still going, making Sanosuke concluded that the fire did not faze them. Ren snickered, "We'll make sure to take the Time Healer's power tonight."

"You're taking no one," Yumeko glared, walking outside. Sansouke grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Where's Yuma?" Yumeko glared, a knife falling down her sleeve to her right hand.

Ren shrugged and lied, "I don't know." While everyone else walked out of the storage house, Ren raised his hand. The bandits behind him all grinned, pumping to dye the earth with blood. "Alright, get 'em, boys," Ren smiled. Right the moment they all took a step, Yumeko used her left hand and caused a streak of a fire wave. Ren snapped his eyes opened, rushing backwards as the flame devoured the bandits within an instant.

"Yumeko-chan, stop it!" Sanosuke pulled on her shoulder harder.

She slapped his hand away, but then Kanon grabbed her left hand that was still burning hot. Yumeko quickly stopped her powers and the flames disappeared before them. "Yumeko, please stop the flames around the town from spreading," Kanon pleaded, worried about the quiet hatred in her friend's eyes.

Yumeko lowered her eyes and nodded slowly. Saburo walked to her and Yumeko blinked to him. Even he was concerned. "I'm sorry," she told Saburo, lowering her eyes.

He smiled and shook his head, "As long as you're the Yumeko I know, I understand."

Souji walked forward as the bandits had fled from the flames. Even Ren was gone. There was the sound of a strange horn in the air. Everyone looked up and wondered if the sound meant for the bandits to retreat. "Ah, great," Souji had a frown. "There's no one to fight with."

"Totally," Kyou made a face, using his gun to hit his tensed shoulder. He stared at the ashes on the ground and the wind blew them into the air. '_Yumeko's power is really scary_…' Kyou thought, his eyes looking over the houses. The fire across the town seemed to have stopped when he laid his eyes on them. How far can Yumeko control her power?

Hajime was also observing the smokes. It seemed Yumeko did not need his aid for now. After a moment, Hajime glanced to Sanosuke, whose eyes glowed to the north. And he did not seem pleased. "Sano, what do you see?" he inquired.

"Yuma and some bandits are chasing Ryunosuke and the others out of the town!" Sanosuke glared, his eyes still glowing. He saw horses, but soon Sanosuke lost sight of them due to them going too far. So he also said, "They're all on horses."

"Ayumu too?!" Kanon exclaimed, rushing to Sanosuke.

Yumeko was angry again and she walked toward north. "Then we must go after them," she said, her voice becoming low.

And right away, Souji went with her, begging to meet Death or something. Saburo was making a childishly pout and he called, "But we won't be able to catch up without horses!"

[…^…]

"Are you kidding me?!" Saburo slapped his own face.

The group was at a closed store that sold fine horses. Yumeko paid what she could with the last of her money, and surprisingly Kyou had money on him too, so he helped out a little. Afterwards the male owner of the store dismissed them, fearing to be involved with them. There were only six brown-furred horses that they were able to afford. But there were seven of them. That meant two people had to share one horse together.

Everyone got on their horses beside Saburo and Kanon. "Hurry up or I'll go first," Yumeko glance to them and then to the last horse.

"Fine, Ayumu-san is more important right now," Saburo frowned and Kanon grabbed for his arm.

Hajime and Sanosuke blinked when Yumeko went ahead on her horse first. "Geez, wait, Yumeko-chan!" Sanosuke grunted, kicking his horse from the saddle while holding his spear tightly with his left hand.

While Sanosuke took off, Kyou hurried off without saying anything. Hajime glanced back to Souji, who was watching Saburo and Kanon getting on the same horse together. Kanon put her arms around Saburo's waist and Souji almost looked annoyed by it. "Souji, everyone, time to leave," Hajime told them. Souji's eyes blinked and he gazed to Hajime quietly.

"Hang on tight, Kanon-san," Saburo said earnestly, gripping on the reins. She nodded and their horse walked off quickly and started to run, passing Hajime and Souji, who just started to move too.

Souji's eyes were on Kanon and Saburo and they all made their way on the streets of the town. The gates were soon in sights and it appeared some bandits were left unconscious by it. Of course, the only thing that bothered him was how close Kanon and Saburo were. Souji found himself thinking too hard and let out a sigh.

Hajime galloped the horse to Souji's side and he said, "Souji, focus."

"I know," Souji retorted. He shook the reins to signal his horse to go faster. Souji got the feeling Hajime must have noticed the change in Souji's attitude and Souji just wanted to leave him in the dust. '_It's not like that_,' Souji lied to himself, even though he continued to be bothered with Kanon and Saburo together.

When Souji's horse caught up with the two, he glanced to them. Saburo seemed to be focusing not to lag behind and Kanon's eyes were filled with anxiety. She did not even look at Souji when he smirked, hoping to get a reaction from her. But she had none and seemed like she did not even notice him there. And then Souji turned his eyes to the front, but he looked at them at the corner of his eyes. Her arms around Saburo ticked him off.

Why did Kanon and Saburo suddenly look so closed to each other? They almost looked like a couple that would go against the world if something happened between them. With that thinking, Souji even more frustrated. The feeling was obvious. He knew what was wrong with him and why he seemed to really dislike what he was seeing.

'_Do I like Kanon_?' Souji queried himself, glaring about it. Maybe it was just a crush. Those happen all the time. On the other hand, Souji never had a 'crush' on anyone before. Maybe he had a little for Chizuru, but her eyes only wandered to Hijikata. Just thinking about it over and over again, he believed he was crushing on Kanon harder than he realized. '_Damn_.'

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's Note**: Please do ignore any typos. I usually read over and over again and correct the errors slowly. But if you wish to point them out, that'll be great too!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 14**

Caught between in a horse chase, Ryunosuke was giving his four horses a hard time, but the wagon was holding the animals back and a couple of bandits were catching up. Kosuzu was looking from the back of the wagon, narrowing her eyes as the bandits raised their rifles, laughing rowdy. The good thing was, they were unable to shoot at them while riding a horse. So Kosuzu felt a bit at ease. Though, the man with silver hair, who was riding a horse behind the group of bandits, appeared to be more threatening than the bandits themselves.

With the passing moment, Kosuzu looked to Ayumu. He was trying to stay awake and he was leaning back against the wagon. "Perhaps it was not a good idea to leave town," Kosuzu softly said, staring at Ayumu.

"No…" Ayumu grunted, his eyes closing back and forth. "I had my reasons." She studied his face and she felt very nervous for some reason. Ayumu let out a deep breathe and his eyes fixed to Ryunosuke. "You… Ryu."

"It's Ibuki Ryunosuke!" he retorted, snapping his head back. "Don't start giving me nicknames now!"

Ayumu ignored what he just said and told him, "You… have the power to teleport. Use it as soon as we turn on the corner of this road."

Both Kosuzu and Ryunosuke stared blankly. Quickly paying attention back to the horses, Ryunosuke uttered questionably, "So those powers stuff are for real?" He and Kosuzu really got themselves into something big. He wondered how big and how risky it would be. "And how in the hell am I supposed to teleport?!"

"Just tell your body to do it," Ayumu groaned, moving to sit up straight. Kosuzu crawled to him on the shaky wagon and assisted him. "We'll be in a big trouble if they catch up with us… You have to do it, Ryu."

"Stop calling me that!" Ryunosuke blushed, glancing back.

"And you," Ayumu whispered to the woman beside him. She lowered her head to meet his weak gaze. "Your power is…"

Ryunosuke was not able to hear them when someone opened fire. The bullet missed, but his four horses all cried at the same time and the wagon started to rock wildly. '_Damn it_!' Ryunosuke glared. If the wagon stopped now, they would really fall into the bandits' hands. He looked back and they were really close. There was no time to run anymore. Ryunosuke had to think of a way. '_Teleport_,' he told himself, his eyes widening. He had to do it now. Kosuzu let out a shout when the wagon started to tilt over. '_Teleport, damn it_!' And then, Ryunosuke's mind went blank.

The wagon fallen on its right side and the four horses neighed with uncontrollable fear. The bandits soon approached and they made a path opened for Yuma. He looked into the emptied wagon and saw no sign of the three people who were in it. Yuma turned his horse around and the bandits grinned. "Go in groups of two," Yuma ordered, his calm eyes looking over the area. "They can't be that far off."

"Yes, sir!"

Yuma watched them go in different directions and he glanced back to the wagon. Completely quiet, he narrowed his eyes and signaled his horse to head to the right. But then his horse stopped and he looked up. He saw black wind in the northeast and it did not look welcoming. '_What kind of power is that_?' Yuma narrowed his eyes.

[…^…]

For some reason, Yumeko's horse was the faster and she almost left everyone behind. Her eyes caught sight of the fallen wagon and she glared when she saw no one inside. There were only four horses lying on top of each other and they were unable to stand by themselves.

"Hey, there's the wagon!" Saburo's voice pointed out.

Yumeko stopped her horse and kicked it bit to go forward. It was dark, but she saw able to see the horse tracks around the ground and it appeared they went in varies paths. Fortunately, she saw no footprints. '_They must have escaped somehow, right_?' Yumeko asked herself.

Just as Kyou and Sanosuke caught up to her, Yumeko's horse made a sharp turn on her command and she guided her horse to the west. Sanosuke frowned, "Stop right there." She paused and stopped her horse. "Yumeko-chan, calm down. We're here to work together. Do you hear me?" He was fed up with her solo decisions. Were they not friends? She sure was not treating them like it.

It was then Souji's horse caught up with them and he went around the wagon slowly. "…There's no sign of fighting here," Souji narrowed his eyes. What happened?

Hajime, Kanon, and Saburo reached to them, becoming a group again. During which Saburo looked around the surroundings, Kanon and Hajime both gazed to the fallen wagon. Kanon got off the horse from Saburo and jogged to the other horses at the wagon. While she helped to free them from the reins, Hajime's voice inquired, "Where are Ibuki and the others?"

"Harada, do your thing," Kyou smirked, looking over his shoulders.

Sanosuke used his power again. His eyes glowed and he forced himself to get a wider range. Scanning the area, he moved his horse to turn himself around. "Ryunosuke is in the west…" Sanosuke noted, looking around more. Souji and Saburo looked surprised when Sanosuke told them. "Kosuzu is in the east… and Ayumu is a bit to the northeast. The bandits are still far off, but they'll reach to those three soon since the three do not have horses. …Looks like Yuma is in the same direction as Ayumu too."

"How did _that_ happen?" Saburo questioned loudly, very shocked. Why were all of them separated so quickly?

Souji glanced to Kanon, who free three horses and she moved to get on the fourth one. "Maybe Ayumu gave someone power," Souji thought out loud, looking to Saburo. It was possible and it would mean Ayumu was awake.

"Ow!" Sanosuke's eyes had a sharp pain running through them. He instantly closed his eyes and rubbed them with the back of his right hand.

"Sano?" Hajime made his horse go closer to him. When Sanosuke opened his eyes, they were very dull and dimmed. Hajime narrowed his eyes, "Your eyes…"

Kanon frowned, "He used his power too much." Sanosuke looked around and squinted his eyes. "Okay, we'll have to do this without Sanosuke's help."

"Then let's split up," Yumeko said, looking at everyone.

"No," Sanosuke said, his eyes twitching. He actually could not see very well. There was something black that blocked his view, but he realized it was inside of his eye. "There are too much bandits for you to handle alone."

The look on Yumeko's face turned cold, but she made no eye contact with anyone. "Then I can just burn those who get in the way," she hissed. "Besides, there are three of them in different directions, you say? We'll just split into three groups. I'll go after Ayumu." Yumeko did not wait for anyone to respond and she galloped her horse right away, heading northeast.

Kanon was worried for her brother too, but if she went after Yumeko… Hajime, Saburo and Souji would have to stick with her because she healed the three of them before. That was too much people looking for Ayumu, leaving only Sanosuke and Kyou alone. Kanon's eyes turned to the others, "Okay, Saburo, Souji, we'll look for Ryunosuke in the west."

"Fine by me," Saburo nodded while Souji said nothing.

Hajime was confused and Kanon shook her head to him. "I don't think we'll be too far apart, Hajime," she told him. "Please stay with Sanosuke. You need to be his eyesight."

Just a second passed and Kyou shook the reins to go after Yumeko. Kanon also made her horse turn and she went off with Saburo and Souji following right after her. Sanosuke grunted. Without much of a choice, Hajime said, "Sano, we will look for Kosuzu together."

"Y-Yeah," Sanosuke rubbed his eyes. It was so annoying. Of all times, why did his power have to do this to him?

[…^…]

Kosuzu tripped a little and leaned against the tree next to her. Her eyes searched for any sign of the others or the bandits. '_What did Ryunosuke do_?' she pouted, walking forward. For him to teleport her and Ayumu like that, was his power too hard to control? Maybe he panicked and used it in a rush. '_I have to find them_,' she picked up her pace.

Suddenly, a voice was heard from above. When she looked up quickly, Ryunosuke came falling down and landed on his stomach. "Damn this strange power," he cursed, getting up.

"Ryunosuke!" Kosuzu rushed to his side.

Surprised, he looked at her, "Kosuzu!" he grabbed her and embraced her. "You're aright! I'm so sorry! Were you scared?!"

"I'm perfectly fine, but," she tried to push him away. They looked at each other and she inquired, "Where's Ayumu-san?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Ryunosuke turned his head around. "I don't know… but I'm trying to use my power to guess where I could have teleported him," he replied. It felt strange. But he could slightly recall where he made his mistake. That was how he found Kosuzu.

"Then we must find him quickly," Kosuzu gently took his arm and squeezed it. "I'm worried he will get hurt. He's still injured."

"I know," Ryunosuke bit on his tongue. He looked around and his mind tried to sense what was familiar to him. But then they heard horses and the voices of men. "Shit, the bandits are coming this way." He took Kosuzu's hand she blinked. He teleported with her and the both were now on the branch of the tree. It happened so fast and in an blink, she was not sure if they were ever on the ground at all. "I need more time to find where I teleported Ayumu…" Ryunosuke whispered to her.

She nodded and held his arm closely. The bandits were below them now and they did not sense the two of them up in the tree. Ryunosuke clicked his tongue and he touched her hand that held his arm. "What's the matter?" she questioned.

"…I'm worried about teleporting into the tree by accident," he grumbled nervously.

With a pause, she reached to touch his cheek and have him look at her. "Don't worry," she tried to smile. "You'll do fine. I believe in you."

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled. She narrowed her eyes and he quickly said, "I'll do it, without a doubt!" She smiled and nodded to him. Ryunosuke looked away when her hand moved from his face. '_Come on, Ryunosuke… Find him_…' Because if he was unable to locate Ayumu, his friends would be blaming him.

[…^…]

Deeper into the forest, Ayumu fell on his knees and touched his chest. His blood was leaking through. And his left knee was killing him. He was hearing a horse coming toward him and he glared back. His eyes glowed black and wind was created. The howling wind turned sharp and cut down the trees in its path to aim where the horse was.

As the black wind died down, Ayumu glared harder when Yuma stepped out of the shadows. Ayumu's eyes glowed black again and this time the trees around them moved to strike to Yuma. The leaves fell all around and Yuma backed away as one tree branch strike from the side. And then he stepped on it to leap into the air with his sword in his right hand. Ayumu's eyes continued to glow black and more trees branches attacked to the silver haired man.

Yuma swung his blade to cut down the branches out of his way and he closed in on Ayumu from the air. Before his blade reached to the injured man, Ayumu disappeared. Yuma landed on the ground as the trees stopped moving. Standing up straight, Yuma looked at the corner of his eyes and saw Ayumu panting meters away from him.

"So, that is the power passed down by the male line," Yuma said, slowly facing to him. "Haru told me about it."

"Who's Haru?" Ayumu angrily demanded, gripping on his chest. More blood leaked and his left knee lost the power to stand. He fell on his right knee and kept his head up. "And what do you know about my father's power?"

Yuma let out a pity sigh and held his sword back. "Haru will never let me speak of her," he replied. "But I can tell you something, Ayumu." Walking to him casually and composed, he explained, "I'm sure you know this story. About your great-great-great grandmother leaving behind the Oni who loved her dearly and who she was engaged to. She married a human and left the Oni to die in pain and agony."

Glaring harder, Ayumu wondered where Yuma was going with the same old story. Just then, Yume's hair near the base of his neck grew long as if it was alive and his hair turned pure white. His eye color switched from silver to golden. Ayumu widened his eyes as two foot-long horns grew out of Yuma's forehead. The wind turned fierce as if it was called upon and Yuma's long hair touched the ground and into the air. The bruise on his left cheek healed completely all at the same time when his form changed.

Using his will, Ayumu's eyes glowed black and he watched the black winds gathering up and tried to inflict damage on Yuma. However, the black wind simply went through Yuma's body and nothing happened. "Tsk," Ayumu bit on his tongue. There was something awfully strange about Yuma's new form, which seemed to nullify his winds of attack. How kind of person was Yuma?

Within reach, Yuma's golden eyes stared down to Ayumu's pale face as he stood there. "That very Oni your great-great-great grandmother tossed away to live with the she loved… He was my great-great-great grandfather's younger brother," Yuma's voice became demonic. The emotion in his eyes remained the same, cool and still. "I am the direct descendant of the Kuromori Oni Clan. …Kuromori Yuma."

'_Kuromori Oni Clan_?' Ayumu stared at him coldly, slightly remembering the name. The two of them stared at each other and it seemed Yuma was waiting for Ayumu to absorb the information in his head. Ayumu then smirked, "Heh… hahahaha!" Ayumu laughed with mockery, lowering his head. His chest hurt even more, but he ignored it. "Are you serious? An Oni is under a mind control of a woman? How ridiculous! How low have you've gotten?"

While he continued to laugh, Yuma raised his blade to Ayumu's chin and lifted up his head to quiet him. "I hold no grudge," Yuma told him and Ayumu snorted. "I don't care about the past… but it happened. Haru controls me… I have no free will. So I apologize if I will harm you and your sister in the near future."

Ayumu glared, "If you're an Oni, then break free from that bitch's control."

"Do you think I haven't thought of that before?" Yuma's eyes softened. The wind was cold and the blade seemed to shiver. "Her mind controlling has its limit. And she focuses all of her power on me to keep me a her pet." Ayumu grunted and wanted to move, but the blade was already on his neck. "Even if you use your power to release me from her, she would act before you do," Yuma whispered.

He was in a tight spot. But Ayumu was already prepared for his own death. He could feel his life slipping away the moment he forced himself to wake up. Not only that, he already activated his father's side of the power. "It doesn't matter if I choose to free you of the mind control or not," Ayumu hissed, glaring. "I won't let anyone take my sister away. Even when I'm dead, I'll continue to protect her. I made a promise and I won't fail it."

Yuma had a faint trace of smile at Ayumu's determined words. "I wonder what it would be like if we met as friends," he murmured. Ayumu remained cool minded as Yuma turned his wrist that held the sword to strike a blow.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 15**

Within that instant, Yuma was sure he slice through Ayumu's neck, but then the body disappeared in a blink. The wind seemed to pause in the air and then he felt the returned wind through his face and long hair. Yuma narrowed his eyes as Haru's voice said in his mind, '_Damn it all! Don't let him escape, Yuma_!'

Looking over his left shoulder, Yuma let out a sigh. '_He's already dying_,' he told her through their mind connection. '_I do not believe it's necessary anymore. We've pushed him enough_.' Before she could retort, he added, '_He must have used his remaining power to avoid dying under my blade_.' Yuma walked off and head into the darkness to hide himself. His horns disappeared and his form returned back to his human self. '_So, Haru… what is your next step_?'

She was quiet and then snickered. '_Oh, you'll see_,' she told him. He could tell she was going to enjoy the next one. Whatever it may be, he knew it would not be pleasant. The clouds in the sky covered the moonlight and Yuma gazed up to it quietly. '_Walking Dream_,' he relaxed his eyes. '_Soon, that power will cease to exist_.' A shame, really. But that was why Haru was bent on doing.

[…^…]

Hajime and Sanosuke stopped their horses as soon as some kind of black light moved right through them and above their heads. Their eyes stared at the black light that expanded down the south and across the sky. The wind was dead and there was no light in the forest. "What was that?" Hajime voiced in the darkness.

Another black light flew by and the wind came back. The moon returned as the clouds drifted. Sanosuke's vision returned in that moment and he glanced around, a bit puzzled. Before he began to use his powers to track everyone, Ryunosuke and Kosuzu suddenly appeared like ghosts before the two men on the horse. "Ryunosuke!" Sanosuke beamed.

"Harada-san?" Ryunosuke looked up to them. Their distances were only a few yards. Kosuzu smiled at the familiar faces in the moonlight. "Where are the others?" Ryunosuke questioned, turning his head back and forth.

"…Ibuki, what kind of power was that just now?" Hajime inquired curiously, his eyes widened a bit. And whose power was it?

While Ryunosuke uttered something through his nose, a bit upset about everything, Sanosuke was looking around as his eyes glowed. He was shocked to see no bandits around. '_Where did they all go_?' he glared. Was something bad going to happen?

[…^…]

In the northeast, Yumeko found nothing. Kyou rode his horse behind her and the look on her face never changed when her head kept moving from left to right. She was both upset and worried. Kyou narrowed his eyes, trying to pick up any noises by the bandits. But there was none. Another strange thing was, what was that strange black light that flew by twice?

"Yumeko," Kyou called to her. She stopped her horse and fixed her eyes on him as he moved next to her. "Is something happening?" he asked, looking at her seriously.

She directed her gaze away and she bit her lower lip. "Ayumu mentioned once before…" she murmured. Kyou raised an eyebrow. She closed her eyes and could not stop breathing in and out. She was scared and her hands were shaking. "When he uses his power from his father's side… it would eat Ayumu's life away…"

Kyou stared at her calmly and she opened her eyelids to the ground. "Don't tell me he's going to die soon," Kyou quietly stated. She was silent and she looked very hurt. "Why would using his father's power do that to him?" Or whatever that power could mean.

"…Because a child born in their family are supposed to have only one power," she answered, her voice shaking. "But nobody's body can take two powers at the same time… which was why… or what Ayumu told me…" She could not finish her sentence and she held back her tears.

Another black light glowed and flew above them. Kyou had a vacant expression on his face, but he was in awed. The black light glowed with magnificence and flowed like the wave of radiance. "So… is this Ayumu's doing?" he asked, his eyes back to her. She nodded. "What do you think he's trying to do? What can _that_ power do?"

Yumeko raised her head and felt the warmth of the black light. "…I don't know," she honestly answered. "Ayumu… never opened up and told me about it. Not once." It was like he never trusted her. And she was always bothered by that thought.

[…^…]

Ever since the black light was passing through the area three times, Saburo was staring at the sky. His eyes followed the mysterious glow of the black light. Souji was next to him and when he brought his eyes back down, Kanon and her horse was gone from sight. She was supposed to be in front of them.

"Kanon?" Souji called, moving his horse forward.

"Wha?!" Saburo snapped his head away from the sky. She really was missing. He hurried to Souji and also shouted out, "Kanon-san? Where did you go?!"

Souji grunted and glanced to Saburo. "Let's split up and look for her," he urgently told him. Saburo nodded quickly and they both rushed through the woods to find any traces of her.

[…^…]

Kanon rode her horse up a hill, her hands shaking on the reins. It was a bumpy hill and her horse slowed down. Just after a few more steps, the horse neighed and stopped moving forward on its own will. Without a fight, she rushed to get off of the horse and she ran up the hill as fast as she could. "Ayumu!" she yelled, feeling he was just up ahead. And it was as if he was waiting for her.

The moment she got over the hill and out of the woods, her eyes snapped wide opened at the flowers of field. They were all glowing in black on a small hill. It was like she was in the center of everything and her heart dropped. It reminded her of her home. Her eyes soon realized Ayumu lying on top of the flowers on the small hill and she dashed straight for him. He was on his back and staring at the sky emotionlessly.

"Ayumu!" she slammed her knees into the grass and reached for him.

He raised a hand and she stopped herself from touching him. "…It's fine," he murmured quietly and weakly. "Don't bother."

She pouted and her eyes became watery. "Why did you use our dad's power for?" she touched his hand to hold it with her hands. Ayumu slowly blinked and she lightly glared. "You could have just waited for us!"

"Haru was after me," Ayumu glanced to her. "She must really know about our background…"

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean? What good can it do if she was after you?"

He shook his head and looked at her. The black light emitted from his body and sent out another wave all around them. The light touched her body and disappeared onto her. "Maybe she's afraid of me," Ayumu shrugged with a smirk. "She probably… wants to hurt you."

Kanon glared and set on her ankles. Her brother's eyes were glowing weak. "I don't get it!" she yelled, closing her eyes. "That makes no sense! What did I ever do to her?! What did you do to deserve this?!"

"Kanon… I like the sound of your voice…" Ayumu told her. It must have sounded random. She opened her eyes and he held gripped on her hands gently.

She pouted and a tear fell from her left eye. Doing her best to hold her tears, she shook her head to snap out of it. "Let's go back into the town and find you a doctor," she forced herself to say and moved her hands on his shoulders.

"Listen to me, onee-san," he grunted, pushing her hands away. "There's nothing can save me now… the moment I used father's power…"

"Shut up, I know!" she exclaimed. Her hands fell on her lap and she gritted her teeth. "But this isn't fair! You're still so young! And I'm tired of saying goodbye, okay?! I'm your big sister, but I couldn't even protect you! Do you know how much Saburo and Yumeko would feel if—" His hand grabbed her hand and she shut her mouth. Her heart was beating loudly and she was so scared to lose him. She was not ready yet nor would she ever be prepared.

Ayumu chuckled and stared into her stubborn eyes. "…Do you like my gift of flowers?" he inquired.

Nodding right away, she replied with a few more tears dropping down her face. "It's just like that day," she mumbled. Her shoulders trembled and she took deep breaths. "But I don't want it. I want you to stay with me forever! We're going to get married, remember? To Saburo and Yumeko. Remember?! We're going to have kids and our children would become cousins!"

He rolled his eyes and rested comfortably. "Don't remind me of that silly conversation," he had to snort. She angrily held back her words for him. There was a short moment of silence and he murmured, "After I died… burn my body with Yumeko's power right here." He liked the view of the sky from there. So he desired it.

Kanon glared and retorted, "You can't leave us like this!" She leaned forward and shook his arm. "Ayumu, can't you use your power to keep yourself alive? Isn't that possible?!" He said nothing and she knew it would be too good to be true. She groaned furiously, "You can't leave me, do you hear me?!"

Her voice echoed and the words sharply pierced his ears. "…You'll be alright," he told her and she looked hurt when he said it. He closed his eyes and his hand lost its grip on her hand. "I will… always… and forever… be by your… side…"

He spoke those words as if they were his last. Kanon's eyes widened as his head tilted off away from the sky. Her face saddened and she uttered, "A…Ayu…" Tears ran down her face and she was unable to stop them.

[…^…]

A sharp pain ran through the hearts of Sanosuke, Ryunosuke, and Kosuzu. Hajime looked to them and he saw their shocked faces. "…What happened?" Hajime asked quietly.

"Ayumu-san…" Ryunosuke ran his hand to his chest. The feeling was very unbearable and he felt something snapped his life away. Kosuzu had the same feeling and she closed her eyes and remained quiet. "He's…" Ryunosuke's breathing paused.

"He's gone," Sanosuke finished the sentence for Ryunosuke. His stared at his hands and he was utterly shocked. His power was still there. He could still feel it. But Ayumu was gone now. They were free and they would be able to go wherever they like. Sanosuke grunted and slapped his face in frustration. "We… couldn't protect Ayumu…"

Hajime lowered his eyes and silence groomed over each of them.

[…^…]

Kyou glanced to Yumeko, who seemed dead still and her horse did not move. He saw tears dropping down from her eyes. She did not cry out, but he swore he could hear her heart screaming for Ayumu's name. So he understood what happened and made no noise.

Unable to wipe her own tears, Yumeko stared at her ground and never blinked. '_Ayumu_…' she thought bitterly.

[…^…]

Kanon's voice was breaking from the sobbing. More tears streamed down her face. She wanted to call Ayumu's name so much. Because if she kept calling his name, maybe he would wake up. Maybe. Her lips would not stop shivering and her nose felt wet. She sobbed and she rubbed her eyes with frustration.

Unable to call Ayumu's name, she started to scream loudly instead. Maybe if she screamed, her voice could call her brother's name again. So closed her eyes. She kept screaming and breathing and screaming, pressing her forehead down on Ayumu's chest.

The screaming echoed and rung in Souji's ears, who hid at the back a tree. His fingers claws into the tree behind him and he grunted. Kanon was still screaming desperately. Souji's chest begun to feel heavy and he hesitated. Her screams were filled nothing but agony and loss. Biting his lower lip, Souji turned his body and walked around the tree. He was walking, but he increased his pace with each step. His bangs covered his eyes as he stared at the ground and his feet felt heavy. "Ka…" he tried to call her name. But her screams only covered his voice. "Tsk!"

Her screams continued, but she started to have hiccups. Even if her voice was cracking up, she sobbed loudly and wanted to scream one more time. Her hands covered her face, her hands running through her hair roughly. Without warning, someone bumped against her back and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She almost fell forward, but he held her firmly and moved to sit on the ground with her. Kanon stopped screaming and only cried with tears running down her face. She opened her eyes and hiccupped as she turned her head.

Souji's head fell on her right shoulder and he was not able to make eye contact with her when she saw his face. Her body was shaking so much; it almost looked like he was trembling too. So held her tighter. Her tears continued and she sniffed, rubbing her left arm under her nose. And then her hands touched his arms and she squeezed them.

"S…Sou…ji…" His eyes widened and his chest ached. She sobbed and called his name again, "Souji… Souji…" Her fingernails dug into his skin and her head cuddled against his own.

"…I'm here," he murmured. His face carried a pained expression.

Kanon closed her eyes and continued to have hiccups. "_Souji_…!"

As if he knew what she wanted, he loosened his arms around her. Kanon turned her body and faced him to cry in his arms. She sobbed loudly and her body trembled even more. Souji embraced her as close as possible and his eyes glared. "I'm here," he told her again, using a gentler voice. It was the only thing he could say. This was the only thing he could do. And it simply made him mad at himself. Was there another way to comfort her? Or was this all she needed?

She cried into his chest, her arms around under his arms. Just having Souji there only made her cry even more. And she continued to cry for a long time. Off to the right from the woods, Saburo could only watched them painfully, his heart mourning for Ayumu. And Saburo's heart ached for Kanon.

That moment felt long for every one of them.

[…^…]

Within an hour, everyone reached to the place where Ayumu was. Hajime and Kyou was the furthest from them, keeping an eye on the horses that were their only transportation. Ryunosuke and Kosuzu bowed to Ayumu's dead body, whose face was covered with Sanosuke's ripped kimono sleeves. Kanon was hugging Yumeko with both arms as they both sat by Ayumu, though Yumeko did not hug back. Her eyes were dead and simply stared to Ayumu. Souji and Saburo were standing behind the girls and Sanosuke walked behind the two guys.

"…We should leave now," Sanosuke kindly told everyone. No one responded and Sanosuke closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he said, "Kanon-chan… you said Ayumu wanted his body to be burned here?"

Kanon slowly turned her head to him and nodded. "Yeah," she replied, her eyes were darkened with redness. "Since Yumeko can make fire and control them… Ayumu's body will turn to dust in no time…" As much as she hated to say it, the thought was probably what Ayumu wished. "So… let's get going… Yumeko," Kanon nudged her head to her friend's head.

Ryunosuke and Kosuzu both walked off with their hands holding each other. Silently, Yumeko nodded and patted on Kanon's head. The girls helped each other get up and Saburo walked to them, whispering words of comfort. Souji faced Sanosuke tiredly and inquired, "Sano… do you really not feel the other bandits near by?"

Shaking his head, Sanosuke sighed, "No… It's like they magically disappeared."

"It was Ayumu's other power," Kanon told them. The two men looked to her and she rubbed her eyes weakly. She was putting up a poker face, despite the fact she cried so much. "He can do what he wants with power as if he was dreaming… hence, the word _dream_. He can make anything happen if he willed it enough."

"That sounds like a very dangerous power," Sanosuke commented gently. And to think the very same powerful ability took Ayumu's life. Sanosuke turned his gaze to Yumeko's back. She was still quiet, as if she lost her voice. And he had yet to see her shed a tear when they all met up here. What was going through her head right now? He was not able to read her emotions from the outside because she was covering it up very well.

Saburo walked to Yumeko and patted on her shoulder. She still quiet and her eyes kept on avoiding any eye contact. Saburo was unable to comfort her, but could only offer a smile. "I'm going ahead then," he said, walking off and around the others.

Souji tilted his head to see if the other two girls were going to go with him. He was not sure how Yumeko was going to use her power, but he remembered how she easily burned up corpses. She was rather ruthless and held nothing back. And then he recalled back to the earlier days when he was in the village. She never used her power around then. Was there a reason why she held herself back until now?

"Yumeko," Kanon tugged her sleeve.

The black haired girl blinked and calmly nodded. "…I'll be there," she murmured. "I… want another moment to stay by Ayumu. Just a little more."

"…Okay," Kanaon said, walking backwards. Yumeko stood where she was and her eyes trembled at Ayumu's dead body. Kanon was sad to see her like that and as much as she wanted to hold her, Kanon walked off to take Saburo's arm. And then Souji went along with her when she and Saburo walked by him.

Yumeko took another deep breath and then Sanosuke's hand rested on her shoulder gently. She let the tears fall and he walked to face her, wiping her tears away with the back of his fingers. "Sano…suke," she mumbled as her voice shook. His hand moved to pat her on her head and he looked at her softly. "The truth is… I wanted Ayumu to be my husband… and I wanted you to be my big brother," she whispered. It was what she really wanted. And now Ayumu was gone. Forever.

"…We're still here," Sanosuke whispered. He attempted to her hug her, but she moved back. "…Take your time. We'll wait for you."

She nodded and turned away. He stared at her back for a moment and then he walked off to give her time as he said. Yumeko closed her eyes and her tears stopped. '_Ayumu_…' she thought, keeping her eyes closed.

As the group was together, waiting for Yumeko, Kyou was looking over to her rather uncertainly. "…Are you guys sure about leaving her like that?" he asked loudly. Her back seemed so lonely.

Ryunosuke frowned to him, "She seemed very close to Ayumu-san, let her mourn a while longer."

"She must really love him too," Kosuzu said, lowering her eyes.

"R-Really?" Saburo blinked to her. Kosuzu sighed and nodded. "I… she never said anything like that before…" Saburo looked over his shoulder, his eyes softening.

Hajime then spoke, "Kanon-san… If Ayumu died, are Sano and the others are still able to use their powers?" This question was probably not a good time to ask, but it was needed to be clear.

Kanon nodded, wrapping herself with her arms when she felt cold. "Yeah…" she replied quietly. "And it means they can go as far as they want now…" Her eyes gazed to Sanosuke. "So you can leave and do what you want. There's nothing to hold you back."

"But we're still in this together," Sanosuke assured her. "Haru's still out there. I'll stick around to help you."

Speaking of which, Souji was slightly losing sight of his original goal. He wanted to find Hijikata, he reminded himself. However, Haru was in the way. She was hiding in the shadows and no one knew how she looked like. Souji frowned, "What should we do now? I'm sure Haru will be after Kanon."

Sanosuke narrowed his eyes, gripping on his spear. "And why did they choose to kill Ayumu when he also had the healing power?" he asked himself.

"Yeah, that's really weird," Kyou commented quietly, going up on his horse. '_And there's still no sign of Amagiri_.' The unknown were yet to be revealed. They needed more answers and Kyou did not wish to be stuck with these people for eternality.

After a pause, Hajime saw Yumeko had faced to them and she walked slowly. "Time we take off," Hajime said, moving to get on his horse as well.

While everyone did the same, Yumeko stopped moving and her eyes stared at every one of them. When they all looked back to her, she smiled a little and raised both hands. Kanon gasped, "Wait, Yume—!"

Fire blast in between the group and Yumeko. The horses screamed and panicked. Saburo tried to settle his horse down as he shouted, completely shocked, "YUMEKO!"

"Damn it!" Sanosuke cursed, holding onto the reins tightly. The fire did not move and only burned where it was. Sanosuke's horse calmed down first and he looked into he flames. He saw nothing and exclaimed, "Yumeko-chan!"

"Yumeko!" Kanon cried, her voice cracking from screaming the name. A name that meant so much to her.

Her horse stopped struggling and soon every horse settled down. Kyou glared, knowing something like this would happen, but he did not think this was what Yumeko had in mind. Ryunosuke and Kosuzu could only stare at the fire quietly, completely surprised themselves. Souji grunted, glaring at how stupid Yumeko was. Hajime moved his horse forward, but there was nothing else he could do. There was no water nearby, for he could only control water. Not make them out of thin air. There was nothing to help but wait for the fire to died down. The heat reached to their skins and the air felt tainted and dried.

Fire surrounded Yumeko and Ayumu. She went to lie down beside him and rested her head on his right shoulder with her left arm over his chest. She closed her eyes and let the flames gathered closer to the two of them. "I'm sorry, Saburo," she whispered with no regrets. "Sorry, everyone… and thank you." She felt the fire on her skin and her pain were being erased in an instant. Her friends were shouting her name again, the sounds of the flames rung in her ears. "If I do not see you in the afterlife, Ayumu … I am content enough to die by your side in this lifetime," she smiled with fortunate, feeling at peace.

And hopefully peace would reach to her friends someday. She wished it with all of her heart until the flames consumed her consciousness.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	19. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 16**

_From this day forth, my life is your shield, Saburo-sama._

Saburo's eyes snapped open when Yumeko's words echoed in his dream. He was lying under the blankets on a wooden floor. Taking a moment to come back to reality, Saburo remembered about last night. After the flames disappeared without having to be extinguished, Yumeko and Ayumu's body turned to ashes and flew in the wind of the night. Saburo and the others headed back to the town, but they were unwelcome by the inn. Although, an old man whose name was Fukui, an acquaintance of Ryunosuke's, allowed them to stay in his home for the time being.

So here they were, Saburo was in the nearly emptied small living room with the other men. There were no pillows for them to use. Kyou slept with his back to the front door with no blanket around him. Souji was a bit to Saburo's right, the blanket was over half of his body. Hajime was to the left side of the room and he was facing the wall with the blanket from shoulder to toe. Ryunosuke was sleeping closer to a door way that lead to a small hallway. And then there was Sanosuke, whose eyes were awake, his left hand under his head. The blanket covered half of his body.

Earlier, Sanosuke was thinking about Yumeko and how she decided to end her life when Ayumu departed from the world. Did she love Ayumu that much? If one died, the other would have no more will to live on. Was that the feeling she had? Did she not fear death? Sanosuke could not help but try to understand it over again. What would he do if the woman he loved died? Would he end his own life as well? But… there was so much to life. Sanosuke felt he could never do it. In the end, Sanosuke was unable to understand Yumeko's choice.

Saburo moved to sit up and his eyes gazed to the paper window tiredly. The sun rising for them and for the future that was still there. Saburo let out a quiet sigh and could not help but think about Yumeko and Ayumu. Moments later, Saburo turned his head to Sanosuke. "…Did you sleep well, Harada-san?" Saburo questioned.

A smile spread on Sanosuke's face. "…A little," he whispered. Throughout the night, Sanosuke wanted to be sure no bandits were around. He was even worried about Yuma and Ren too. So he slept only a small amount of time. His power was still weakened from being overused too, to the extent of him being a bit blind. But he felt his eyesight would return again after another night's rest. "Did you dream anything, Saburo?"

Awoken, Kyou opened his eyes as Saburo replied slowly, "…Nothing. I dreamt nothing."

Sanosuke chuckled softly and had a long pause. He was beginning to wonder what their next course of action should be. The enemy already attacked; therefore it may take a long while before they strike again. Maybe it was time to do something to ease up the heavy air around them. "Saburo… what do you think we should do?" Sanosuke inquired, turning his head over to the black haired guy.

Saburo blinked and timidly asked, "W-Why are you asking me? I don't have any bright ideas."

"Heh…" Souji's snorted. It seemed he was awake as well, but he kept his eyes closed. "Aren't you the peacemaker, Saburo-kun? I'm sure you'll think of something for once. Let us know when you plan our day."

"What, why me?!" Saburo sharply turned his head to Souji, blushing a bit.

"Hey, shut up," Kyou called from where he was. While Sanosuke moved to sit up, Saburo looked apologetic. "The girls are still asleep. What happened to being _men_, eh?" Kyou smirked.

Sanosuke sneered, "Didn't know you cared, Shiranui."

"Of course I do," Kyou grinned directly to him. "And you guys are very lucky because I'm still plan to stick around longer."

"Or maybe," Souji opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling. "Shiranui probably thinks if he left, he would miss us."

"Dream on," Kyou snickered. But would he? He always wondered why humans intrigued Kazama Chikage. Was it because the humans were fun to watch? Fun to mess with? Kyou smiled at the back of his mind and tried to think of something else before taking a real liking to humans. And then Yumeko's death came to mind. That incident was something he could not grasp.

The sigh from Hajime was heard and he removed the blanket off of his shoulder to sit up. Hajime glanced around and then fixed his eyes on Sanosuke. "Should we prepare food, now that we're all up?" Hajime inquired, folding his blanket up.

Saburo pouted, "Wait, Ibuki-san's still asleep." He was pointing and Ryunosuke was still sleeping.

Souji laughed a little, "He's just faking it."

"So what?" Ryunosuke snapped his eyes opened. He was dead tired and said, "I'm trying to go back to sleep here! It's still too early!"

"Lower your voice, you big head," Souji frowned with a shrug. Ryunosuke mumbled annoyingly in return.

After Hajime was done folding his blanket, he set it to the side and stood up, fixing his katana in place. "I will go and wash up first," Hajime quietly said, walking off toward the door way over to Ryunosuke. Before he actually left, he said, "Saburo, don't forget to plan our day."

Souji laughed amusingly and Saburo could only heave out a tired sigh. He really had no idea what they preferred to do! Just shortly after, Hajime returned into the room and looked a bit uneasy about something. Saburo stared at him strangely and raised the question, "Saito-san, what's wrong?"

Grunting, Hajime appeared to show some sign of awkwardness. All of the men started to hear voices. A kid's laughter and Kanon's alarming voice. Footsteps ran and a boy ran right pass Hajime and accidentally bumped into Saburo's back. "You little—" Kanon shouted. She ran and appeared at the doorway, barely dressed. Her hair was wet, her left hand held her kimono over her chest and around her arms, but it was sliding off her right shoulder of a bit and her black shorts were showing underneath.

Apparently the boy was holding Kanon's black waistband, the only thing she needed to complete dressing up. Saburo was the first to comment, "Kanon-san, don't come to us looking like that!" He grabbed the black waistband from the boy.

She glared and the boy pouted, "Hey, I was just kidding!" The boy had short black hair and the color of his eyes was black, shined with purity and honesty. He was wearing a simple dull blue kimono with a gray waistband.

Hajime closed his eyes, rubbing his face as he walked away. Sanosuke looked away from the scene even if his vision was not as good, Ryunosuke pretended to be asleep, Kyou was just staring with a grin, and Souji's eyes were on Kanon's skin.

"Give it here, Saburo!" Kanon demanded, reaching her left hand out. She did want to walk further into the room. "That kid stole it after I took a bath with Kosuzu!"

"He did what?!" Ryunosuke stood up and the blanket on him fell to the floor. "Did he see anything?!" Because Ryunouke would so teach the kid a lesson for peeking.

"Yes, did he?" Souji smirked teasingly with Hajime sighing in the background.

Kanon snapped her head to Ryunosuke and then to Souji, "We were already dressed, and of course he saw nothing!" Souji threw his head back to laugh at the tone of her high-pitched, embarrassed voice. She set her kimono over her shoulders and wanted to rip her arm off just so she can throw something at Souji.

Saburo got up with the waistband in hand and the kid frowned in defeat. Handing the waistband back, Kanon snatched it with an angry look and hurried off. Saburo let out an uneasy laugh and then he turned around quickly to look at the kid. "Little Fukui, don't do things like that," Saburo wanted to tell the boy.

"Fukui Katsu!" the boy raised his hand, loudly stating his full name.

"Little Fukui sounds better," Saburo grinned, reaching a hand out. He ruffled the boy's hair and chuckled. "Where are your parents?"

Smiling and letting Saburo play with his hair, Little Fukui replied, "They went off to work. They always go before the sunrise. And they come back late. So it's always me and my grandpa."

"I'm surprised we didn't hear them," Sanosuke looked over to the two of them. Did Sanosuke doze off? He barely remembered if he ever closed his eyes.

Saburo noticed Little Fukui was rubbing his arms and shivered for a second. "Are you cold, Little Fukui?" Saburo bent his knees to meet the boy's eye level.

He nodded with a pout, "Because Kosuzu and Kanon were here, grandpa and I had to sleep in a room that had lots of holes… so the wind comes in and it gets chilly."

Suddenly getting an idea, Saburo stood up with a fist pumped and wore a happy smile. "I know what we should do now!" All the guys turned their heads to him, wondering what kind of plan Saburo thought for all of them for today.

[…^…]

A while later, in one of the bedrooms, Kanon's hair was dry and Kosuzu walked behind her as they both were sitting on their ankles on the wooden floor. Kanon was tilting her head in the mirror while Kosuzu was combing her long brown hair for her. The black comb slowly untangled Kanon's hair and Kosuzu made sure to be gentle. The girls were quiet, but Kosuzu knew what was going through Kanon's head the moment she saw Kanon's depressed face in the mirror's reflection.

Easily thinking of a topic, Kosuzu asked, "How do you want your hair to look like today, Kanon-san?"

Her head turned to her and she blinked up at Kosuzu's delicious-looking soothing brown eyes. "I don't want it tied up or anything," Kanon said, her face brightening up.

"Oh?" Kosuzu gently played with the long hair. "That's a pity."

Kanon dryly stared at her, "Oh, really?"

Giggling, Kosuzu nodded, "Yes. Want to me to do your hair?" Kanon looked away and had a moment to think about. Kosuzu combed her hair again and let Kanon take her time to decide it. "…Ryunosuke told me about your healing power and your heritage," Kosuzu smiled. She looked in the mirror and saw Kanon's face was totally blank. "And I'm thankful for what Ayumu given me and Ryunosuke… and… I'm sorry for your loss."

"…Thank you," Kanon murmured, letting a smile spread across her face. She still took it hard because Ayumu and Yumeko were both gone in that instant. Death was always unfair and it made Kanon wondered if she had been a bad girl in her past life. Because her life now had only been filled with the death of others. Maybe she did do something really bad in her previous life. So she committed herself not to hate no matter what. '_I don't want to lose any more of them_,' Kanon thought, her eyes softening. '_So,_ _I'll be a good girl, Aunt Akiko_…'

"Where's that hair tie…?"

Immediately, Kanon turned her head and touched her hair with her hands. "No, I'm not going to tie it up!" she cried defensively, pulling her hair down.

Kosuzu had to giggle at her and nodded, "Fine, I won't tie it up without your consent."

Kanon smiled right away and stood up for a stretch. "Hmm, oh," she blinked just as Kosuzu stood up. Both girls were now ready to leave the room, but Kanon had a curious question. "Kosuzu, were you saying Ayumu also healed you?" Kosuzu nodded with a soft smile, blinking at the same time. "What's your power then?"

Right before Kosuzu answered, Little Fukui slide the door opened and called, "Breakfast is ready!" Both girls looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Hajime-san and the others made them for us."

"Oh," Kanon blinked. She wondered what they made.

Taking her hand, Kosuzu tugged it a bit and said, "Let's go." Kanon nodded as Little Fukui lead them to where the dinner room was. Before they were out of the bedroom, Kanon glanced to her short swords and shrugged, leaving them as they are on the ground by the mirror.

It was just about twenty steps away and Little Fukui stepped into the room where the other men were. Kosuzu and Kanon soon entered and they both looked around for empty seats. It seemed Ryunosuke saved a spot just for Kosuzu to his left. "Good morning," Ryunosuke put up a happy smile. The men were sitting from the two sides of the walls, facing inward at each other.

Kosuzu returned a smile and let Kanon's hand go. "Morning, everyone," Kosuzu nodded, regarding all of them as she made he way to Ryunosuke across the room.

Over the other side of Ryunosuke was Kyou, Sanosuke, and then Hajime. As little Little Fukui went to sit by his grandpa, on Little Fukui's right was Souji, an emptied seat, and then Saburo. As Kanon went to sit in the last one, Souji was the first to comment, "Hey, your hair looks much healthy today."

"Kosuzu combed it for me," Kanon blinked at him, reaching to the empted spot. When she sat on her ankles, she looked to the food placed on a small table. There was a bowl of rice, a small fish, and miso soup with a tofu in it.

Feeling Saburo touching her hair, she glanced to him. "Wow!" Saburo smiled happily. "Kanon-san! Your hair never ever felt this nice before!"

Souji clicked his tongue at them. Kanon slapped Saburo's hand away. "No touching," she told him. "Or my hair will fall around in someone's food."

"Okay," Saburo grinned, raising both of his arms. "Time to eat!"

"_Ittadakimasu_," everyone said. Someone sounded like they were mumbling too. (**A/N**: this means "Time to eat" in Japanese or simply a phase they say before digging into a meal.)

This was probably the first time Sanosuke was eating with a group in a long while. If Heisuke and Shinpachi were here, their voices were be the first to interrupt their meal time. Sanosuke cracked a smile as soon as Souji said, "Hey, Little Fukui, don't steal from others."

"But I'm a growing man," Little Fukui pouted childishly. His tiny fingers were holding his chopsticks and they were stuck between Souji's chopsticks. When Souji let the boy's chopsticks go, Little Fukui said, "And you're already a full grown man. You can get any girl you want now. I have a ten-year plan to fulfill so I must eat more!"

Souji had to laugh a bit mockingly and Little Fukui pouted even more. "Wow, what an ambitious little boy," Souji patted on the boy's head with his left hand. "But are you sure you're not just very hungry?"

The old man, Fukui, bowed his head over to Souji. "Please forgive my grandson's behavior," he chuckled softly.

"Oh no, it's quite all right," Souji smiled, nodding to assure the old man. Souji was just amused the way the boy used his words.

While Ryunosuke and Kosuzu exchanged quiet words, and Hajime eating silently without disturbing anyone, Kyou looked up to Kanon who did not touch her food yet. Seconds later, she took the small fish with her chopsticks. "Little boy, you can have this," she leaned forward to smile at the kid.

"Really?" Little Fukui brightly smiled. She nodded and he whimpered. "But… wasn't I… mean to you?"

"What, you call that _mean_?" Kanon grinned, giving him a weird look. "You have to do better than that!"

Souji took the small fish from her, "Then I'll teach him a lesson for you, Kanon."

"Souji," Sanosuke frowned. There Souji goes again. Without Hijikata, who was going to make the green-eyed man stop fooling around? Not that Hijikata ever could prevent Souji from doing what he wanted and Hijikata could only yell nonstop. Sanosuke smirked at the thought. He really missed those days.

Kanon glared, "Hey, that isn't yours, Souji!"

Little Fukui nodded, "Yeah, give it!" When the boy moved to his feet, his chopsticks reached to retrieve his gift from Kanon.

While Souji was not going easy on the little boy, Saburo sighed to the side. '_I was hoping for a peaceful morning_,' he rubbed his face. Saburo wondered how Hajime was doing it because Hajime ate like no one was around him.

[…^…]

Kosuzu and Kanon were out in the back porch, watching the men doing work on repairs on the house. On the roof, Hajime and Souji were rearranging the beaten tiles with new ones. Ryunosuke was chopping firewood in the right corner of the small yard. Saburo carried flat wood and leaned them against the house and began looking for any holes he could see. As for old man Fukui, he was in the house, resting.

Little Fukui went off and sat on Kosuzu's lap when Kanon gave Kyou a look, "Why aren't you helping out, Kyou?"

"Heh," Kyou was drinking sake next to Sanosuke. They were sitting on the girls left side. "Because I'm here to make sure Harada doesn't run into a wall," Kyou grinned more to himself. "Someone had to watch over him."

Kanon flattened her face and Sanosuke chuckled. His eyes were still dim and he would squint his eyes every now and then. "…Sanosuke, sorry if I can't heal you," she told him, her voice remorseful. "Because if I did…"

"Then I would have an unstable extra power," Sanosuke nodded, his eyes on the ground. In his hand was a cup of sake. "Something like that, right? Shiranui said that was what Yumeko-chan mentioned. And I'm fine with the way I am. Don't worry about me."

She lowered her eyes and felt depressed all over again. That painful feeling just never goes away, does it? Kanon wanted to try harder and just live for another tomorrow. So she stood up and rolled up her sleeves. "I'll help out too," she said, making a determined expression.

"Why don't you just go grocery shopping instead?" Souji called from the roof. Kanon frowned and moved to look up at him. He sat on the edge and smirked. "Leave these jobs to the men."

"Yeah!" Saburo grinned, waving happily to Kanon.

Little Fukui got off of Kosuzu's lap and raised his hand, "I want to go shopping too!"

Souji gave the boy an annoyed look, "What happen to being a man? You should be staying with us. Don't you think?" In the inside, Souji would feel envy and if the boy got to go with the girls. Souji would not allow it.

Kanon blinked and Little Fukui took her hand. "No, I'm still a kid," Little Fukui smiled innocently at Souji. And the green-eyed man narrowed his eyes as the kid fail to see his threat. "So I want to go with them. They might need help."

"How thoughtful," Kosuzu smiled, moving to stand on her feet. She looked over to Ryunosuke, who was looking at her with concern. "I will be going with Kanon-san and Little Fukui, Ryunosuke. We will be right back."

A pause. Ryunosuke nodded softly, "Okay… be careful out there."

She nodded, "As you wish."

"Let's go," Little Fukui tugged on Kanon's hand. "The money is in the house, so we'll go get it first and then we'll go shopping!" Kanon nodded as they both went inside the house with Kosuzu following them.

Souji sighed and could not believe the damn kid. "Souji," Hajime's voice said. While Souji was turning around, Hajime pointed down to the roof that had an opening. "Focus."

"Yeah, yeah," Souji frowned, moving up to finish the job first. He was starting to feel grumpy and Hajime was reading him like a book, even if Hajime was dense at some part of a _certain_ human emotion. Like a crush on someone. Souji let out a sigh and shook his head to forget about. '_It'll be fine_,' he thought to himself. '_Kanon knows how to take care of herself… right_?'

[…^…]

The two young women and Little Fukui walked in the market area. They were just about done and were taking a detour to explore the area for the fun of it. Both Kosuzu and Kanon were carrying straw baskets on their backs, which were covered up with a sheet of cloth and Little Fukui was holding a small bag filled with some potatoes. Just up ahead now, Little Fukui blinked and his face became red. "Um… we shouldn't go that way," Little Fukui stopped walking.

Kanon looked back, making a puzzled face. "Why?"

In front of them, Kosuzu could see the large three-story brothel, which was about three houses away. The title sign of the place was boldly called _Blooming Flowers Brothel_. A lot of women were on the streets to greet any men walking by and even managed to drag some of them in. Kosuzu cleared her throat and turned around. "Yes, let's take another path," she agreed, smiling as naturally as possible.

Still not understanding why, Kanon glanced around. All she saw in her path were a lot of women on the street. What caught her eyes was a booth beside the three-story building. Some men lined up and were picking up papers, but then they were whine, pay up, and then walk away. Curious, Kanon walked off while Little Fukui and Kosuzu opened their mouths, looking surprised. "Kanon-san!" Little Fukui whispered loudly.

Kanon approached the booth after the men left. The booth had a sign that read: _Win and Get One Free Meal and One Night Rest here in Blooming Flowers!_ On the table, there was a large green straw basket with folded pieces of papers. And then her eyes lifted up to the two girls behind the booth.

The one on the right wore a thin layer of a yellow kimono. Her hair was long and black, which were all pulled up on her head as a bun, which made her mature. Even her dark yellow eyes carried a mature sensation. The girl on the left was wearing a thin layer of a pink kimono that was in the same design as the other girl. Her round eyes were childish and the color of her pupils was pink. Her hair was in the same exact style as the first girl.

"Care to try?" the one in yellow smiled to Kanon. "Drawing is free, but if you do not have the winning paper, it will cost you five hundred yen. And you can only have one shot at this."

"Can I really?" Kanon blinked, looking back down the folded papers.

The girl in the pink nodded as she giggled, "Of course! It doesn't matter if you're a girl. We will serve you if you win. Everything will be free of charge! You can even bring four people with you, who will also have the free meal and a night's rest! Cool, right?"

Kanon smiled, liking the idea. She did not want to impose on grandpa Fukui for another night. And another meal, seeing as how poor they already were. She probably would not able to bring everyone with her, however if she won, it was better than nothing. "Okay, I'll give this a shot," Kanon nodded, rolling up her right sleeve.

"Kanon-san!" Kosuzu and Little Fukui walked up behind her. They were worried because they do not want to waste a single yen for today.

But Kanon already drew a paper out of the basket. She opened it quickly and saw the word: _Winner_. "Oh, I won!" Kanon exclaimed with a big smile.

"WHAT?!" all the men around her shouted all at the same time. Their mouths dropped in complete shock for the lucky girl.

The two girls behind the booth clapped their hands at the same time. "Congratulations!" they said in unison.

Kanon laughed cheerfully and looked back to Kosuzu and Little Fukui, who both had a dry look on their faces. "…What?" Kanon beamed. "At least I can bring four people with me. You two want to join with me tonight?"

"Are you kidding me?" Little Fukui pouted. Though it was rare chance to eat wealthy meal, he refused, "I'm not coming here. Mom will scold me."

"Oh," Kanon blinked. "That's too bad. I wonder why?"

Kosuzu softly frowned, shaking her head. "Oh, Kanon-san…" she could only utter. Just how little did Kanon knew about brothels?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 17**

Rushing to face to the right side, Sanosuke coughed out tea when he began drinking it. Kyou had to move when the tainted tea almost jumped from Sanosuke's mouth over on Kyou's feet. Standing in the backyard with everyone besides grandpa Fukui and Little Fukui, Kanon had just stated she got free entries to the Blooming Flowers Brothel. "You did _what_?" Sanosuke wiped his mouth, looking at Kanon with utter shock.

"I won us a free meal and a night's rest over there," Kanon blinked. She raised five papers with written words that had a special red stamp on them. "Any one of you wants to come along?"

While Souji was laughing amusingly, Hajime shook his head in silence. "Oh, Kanon's great," Souji sarcastically said with a smirk.

"Kanon-san!" Saburo blushed, giving her an upset look. "Why and how could you?!"

She frowned, "What did I do wrong? It's free!" She slapped the papers across Saburo's chest and he whined as he shook his head back and forth.

Ryunosuke felt awkward and walked away from the group and Kosuzu followed him closely. "You're not planning on going, are you?" Kosuzu whispered, making an uncertain face.

"Of course not!" Ryunosuke had a small blush. "Besides, I don't have to go in for free to get the food. I can always teleport and sneak the good stuff out." Kosuzu gave him a disapprovingly look and he smiled nervously. "I'm kidding! Don't take me seriously."

The two of them stopped by a small shed and Kosuzu sighed. "Ryunosuke, your power should not be used for your convenience. Or for any of us."

He nodded quickly, "I know. I won't use it unless there's danger." She smiled and had a soft giggle. Now that was the Ryunosuke she loved. He grunted and rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably, but he grabbed her hand to hold her close.

Kyou took one of the papers from Kanon to scan it. "I think you guys should go," he said and handed it back to Kanon. "It's not like the paper told you guys to sleep with anyone." Kanon made a strange face when Kyou used the word 'sleep'.

"Arg, but still!" Saburo slapped his face with both hands.

"Then let's go," Souji nodded, taking one of the papers. "It's only for one night. Nothing will happen if someone behaves themselves."

"You're not talking about you, are you?" Sanosuke smirked.

Souji sneered, "…Of course not."

Kanon then hand one to Hajime, who slightly moved his head back. "Here, take one," Kanon smiled. "We can go and eat and sleep over there. I bet it'll be a luxurious experience."

In the background, Souji held in a snicker. Hajime looked at the paper and slowly to Kanon. She was still smiling and was still unaware what takes place Blooming Flowers Brothel. When Hajime did not take the paper, Kanon took his left hand and made him hold it. "K-Kanon-san…" Hajime's face darkened with a bit of red.

When Kanon faced Saburo, he backed away two steps. "No, I don't want to go!" he cried, almost begging. "Please, Kanon-san, don't do this."

"It's just free food," Kanon gave him an annoyed look. "Do you plan on freeloading here with the Fukui family?" Saburo was quiet and played with his fingers. "DO YOU?!"

"No, of course not!" he sighed, giving in. It was like Kyou said; they do not have to do anything and just eat. Everything would be fine, right? At the same time as Kanon tried to get one more paper to either Sanosuke or Kyou, Saburo gazed to her. She almost looked like she was back to her old self. This would possibly be a good thing after all. He rather see her smile than for her to think about Ayumu and Yumeko.

Souji purposely put his elbow on Saburo's shoulder with a heavy weight. He grinned, "So, what should we do when we get there, Saburo-kun?"

"Eat and sleep by ourselves!" Saburo determinedly answered, looking into the distance.

Chuckling, Souji glanced to Kanon, who just threw a punch to Kyou for some reason, but Kyou dodged it easily with a smirk. "Well then, when we get there, I guess I'll be taking Kanon," Souji whispered.

Saburo widened his eyes to him. Souji looked at him in the eye and he seemed serious. With a pout, Saburo pushed Souji's elbow with his arm. "What are you talking about?" Saburo inquired, his silver eyes almost glared into Souji's green eyes. "Kanon-san's not like that."

"Unless she's drunk," Souji remarked.

With a depressed sigh, Saburo cried helplessly, "No, I will not allow her to drink!" Souji snickered and Saburo pouted. "And I saw what you did back there! Holding my Kanon-san like that." And then Saburo started to mumble a bunch of frustrated words, lowering his head as he did so. It sounded like he really disapproved of Souji's action last night.

Souji smirked wider, "Excuse me? _Your_ Kanon? The one who held her was _me_." Surprisingly, Saburo grabbed Souji's shirt and roughly pulled him closer. "Whoa, hey now," Souji raised his hands, grinning at Saburo. He saw there was a hint of anger in Saburo's eyes.

Before a war was declared, Kanon smacked the back of Souji's head with her fist and Saburo flinched as he let Souji go. "What the hell are you guys doing?" she glared, her hands on her hips. She was still holding two papers in her hand.

"K-Kanon-san," Saburo smiled uneasily. How was he going to say it in front of so many people?

Grunting and rubbing the back behind his head, Souji looked at Kanon with an irritated look, "Why did you hit me for?"

She pointed to Saburo, "Because Saburo never gets aggressive." And then she quickly pointed to Souji accusingly, "And you always like to provoke people. Why do you think I would hit you for?" She saw Saburo grabbing Souji first and all the while Souji had a looking-for-trouble look on his face.

Saburo beamed and jumped to hug her. "You know me best, Kanon-san!" he happily cried.

Souji lightly glared as Kanon patted on Saburo's head and she was giving Souji a flat expression. Saburo continued to hug her and she did not even bother to push him away like the other times. "You little _brat_," words escaped Souji's lips. Kanon rolled her eyes and gave no response. Ignoring them, Souji walked off by himself to blow up some stream. '_Why in the world did you cry into my arms for_?' Souji wanted to ask out loud. '_Why did you hold me so close_?'

Watching the scene that just took place, Kyou snickered and Hajime had to sigh a little. Sanosuke was drinking his tea. Though he could barely see what happened, he already figured out what the root of the problem was. "…Shiranui, why don't you go with them to the Blooming Flowers Brothel too?" Sanosuke suggested.

"What, are you kidding me?" Kyou frowned, glancing to him. Kyou had no interest in it or whatsoever.

Sanosuke smiled, "My eyesight won't come back by tomorrow morning… I think. So I want you there just in case."

Kyou begun to understand Sanosuke's concern. "Alright," Kyou sneered a moment after. "Just this once because you're weak right now, Harada."

"That was uncalled for," Sanosuke smirked, shaking his head to himself.

Hajime looked at the paper in his left hand. He felt so uncomfortable, but if it was to keep an eye on Kanon, then there was no choice. Her safety would come first. Not only that, Hajime would not want to impose on the Fukui family as well.

[…^…]

That night, Kanon stepped up to the Blooming Flowers Brothel with a cheerful smile on her face. Behind her were Souji, Hajime, Saburo, and Kyou. They all carried their weapons too. The men watched her walked in first and Saburo sighed more in defeat. He still could not believe they actually came here. Of all places.

"Hello!" the two young women greeted. They were the same women from earlier today, who congratulated Kanon on winning. Kanon smiled to the girls in pink and yellow kimono. "Right this way!"

The four men walked in and Saburo rushed to go closer to Kanon, in case random men attacked her from nowhere. When he heard rowdy voices on their left, Saburo saw men groping giggling women. When Kanon was about to turn her head to the noises, Saburo jumped on her back right away and he twisted her head around. "No looking!" he told her.

Luckily her neck did not crack, but he was rather rough. "Stop it, Saburo!" she elbowed him in the stomach.

Souji was feeling annoyed all over again when Saburo took her hand to drag her off quickly as they followed the two young woman in the yellow kimono and the pink kimono. '_They're too close to each other_,' he found himself glaring.

"So, Saito," Kyou spoke with a grin. The two of them were the last in the group and walking side by side. "Should we get everyone drunk tonight?"

"I will have to decline," Hajime said. He had no desire to drink because to him, this was a very important mission.

They both did not look at each other when they talked. Kyou scoffed, "Wow, you're such a bore. I wonder how Amagiri felt when he fought against you back in the day."

Hajime made no comment while they were lead to the third floor. Here on this floor, people were quieter and chatted normally, enjoying sake and the pleasant flower fragrance was in the air. Fire lanterns were hung up according like a firefly guiding them through the darkness. They walked through a long hall and eventually made a turn. It was such a long way.

Finally arriving, the two young women slide the door opened to a large private room. The one in yellow smiled, "Wait here. Your food had already been prepared. We shall sent them to you shortly."

"Great!" Kanon nodded, jogging in with Saburo. As the other three men entered, the two young women closed the sliding door quietly. Kanon jumped up and down on the brown-yellow mat floor. "This place looks promising!"

'_If only you knew_,' Saburo frowned away. There were five purple seat cushions circled in the center of the room, black lantern stands in all four corners, the imprinted black flowers drawings on the walls, and a faint clean scent in the air. Saburo moved to sit on one of the seat cushions, which was facing a bit to the door they entered. When Kanon sat down, next to him that faced directly at the door, Souji took the seat by her right away. Saburo pouted to Souji, wondering what his intentions were when Souji flashed a devilish smirk.

Kyou sat by Saburo and Hajime took the last seat between Kyou and Souji. "Okay, men," Kyou raised his voice, gesturing with his hand. "Now, we should behave ourselves. Harada's not here, but I shall be the one who will supervise all of you."

After rolling his eyes, Souji grinned, "Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the show?"

"What show?" Saburo frowned, really hoping Souji would not plan to do anything to Kanon.

Hajime was sitting quietly and Kanon spoke, "I want to try drinking those icky sake stuff!"

"No!" Saburo immediately refused, snapping his head to her.

"Just once!" she snickered.

And before Saburo could react even more loudly, Souji said, "Go ahead. Just a sip though."

"Cool!" Kanon smiled to Souji.

[…^…]

"Bleh, this stuff is disgusting!" Kanon almost threw up. She grabbed for the teacup and quickly gulped it all. All the men stared at her when she frowned. "Here, Saburo," she handed her bottle to him.

The food had already arrived. There was a lot, but it was enough for them to consume it all. There was chicken, pork, vegetables and all sorts of dishes laid in front of them. When Saburo took sake bottle from Kanon, Souji narrowed his eyes and said, "Wait a second, you should drink all of it first." And before Saburo drunk the sake just to taste it, Souji quickly demanded, "Saburo-kun, don't you dare drink from that."

Blinking cluelessly, it took a moment for Saburo to realize it. Kyou was only drinking a bit of sake and Hajime was eating quietly again. "Oh?" Saburo grinned to Souji, rubbing his chin. "Could it be, I wonder? You're worried about me drinking from the _same_ bottle as Kanon-san? Eh?"

Souji sneered, "Unless you want me to come right over there and chop your head off?"

"Okay, give it here," Kanon snatched the bottle back, raising her head again.

"Wait, Kanon-san!" Saburo gasped when she drunk it all in one-go. "Geez… you don't have to force yourself."

"I'm a woman!" she retorted, wiping her lips. Disgusted with the aftertaste, she threw the bottle behind her and it landed close to the way without a crack. "Okay, time to eat until I'm full. No more sake for me!"

Kyou snickered at the threesome and Hajime brought his eyes over to them. Saburo and Souji were having their staring contest and Hajime sighed at the sight of them being childishly. '_I do not understand how Kanon-san cannot see this_,' Hajime thought to himself. It was so clear, even though he did not know how, that those two men were interested in her.

"Let's have a contest between me and you, Saburo-kun," Souji smiled thinly, not backing down. He did not care what Saburo and Kanon had in the past. He could steal her away if he wanted to, but since Saburo was a kind person, Souji was willingly to let this play out fair.

"You're on, Okita-san!" Saburo held up a fist to him, pouting a bit.

Kanon lifted up her head from chewing on chicken meat and she looked at them back and forth. "Why between the two of you?" she inquired, feeling left out.

"You stay out of this, Kanon-san," Saburo smiled innocently to her. "It's not your battle."

Souji chuckled, "Yeah. Just me and him."

[…^…]

Hajime and Kyou were staring with boredom as Saburo and Souji were ordering a lot of drinks. Yes, it was a drinking contest. The air reeked of sake. Even Kanon had to leave her seat to open the window of a small balcony for the fresh air to come in. Saburo grabbed another bottle when Souji declared another round. Whoever knocked out first would lose. And the winner would get the mysterious, yet obviously, prize.

"Oh," Kyou smirked. Saburo just dropped on his back and seemed unconscious. "Game over for Saburo."

Souji cheered with a sneering grin, "Alrighttttt…! And I'm still sober!"

There was a big, long sigh from Kanon. She turned away from the window and shook her head. "Okay, Saburo can't sleep like that," she walked over to them. "I'll take him to bed."

Souji rushed to move and press his stomach on top of Saburo's own. Kanon stopped in her steps and gave Souji and weird look. "No, don't!" he told her. "I won, remember? You should be taking me to bed."

"…Souji," Hajime stared at him seriously. Kanon walked again and then bent down, smacking the back of Souj's head and he let out a small cry. Hajime blinked, '_Never mind. Kanon-san can take care of him herself_.'

"Why don't you drink some tea?" Kanon moved around to get Souji off of Saburo. Souji whined childishly and leaned against her. She picked up Saburo's teacup and handed to him. Souji shook his head away from the cup and she told him, "Drink it, Souji."

"I don't wanna drink from hissssss," he whispered playfully, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Kyou snorted and set his emptied sake bottle down. "No flirting, Okita," Kyou warned first.

"I'm behaving just fine," Souji squinted his eyes over to the Oni.

His breath was too much for Kanon and she had to look away as she brushed his arm off. Souji lost his balance a bit and fell a bit back on his palms behind him. "Hajime, can you take Saburo to a room first?" she requested. "I'm going to stay and make Souji eat something to shake off his drunkenness crap."

Hajime was a bit hesitated at first, but Kanon insisted as she went to help the sleeping Saburo up. "…Alright," he said, moving to his feet.

Souji rubbed his head and tried to stay sane. He watched half tiredly as Kanon helped Hajime pick Saburo up. Hajime put Saburo's arm around his neck and his arm around Saburo's waist and started to walk off toward the door where it was opened. The two young women from before were there and they both lead the way to the bedroom with the two men.

"Kanon, I'm not hungry," Souji reached for her hand and tugged it.

She looked down to him and his head limped. Blinking a couple of times, she lowered her body down and patted his head. "Are you getting sleepy too?" she asked.

"Nah," Souji replied, rubbing his eyes.

"Off to bed you go," she grabbed his arm to put over her shoulder too.

Souji made a pout when her hand went around his waist. "Wait, not yet," he complained babyishly. "It's too early for that!"

Kyou snickered and stood up. He stretched his back as Kanon managed to help Souji on his feet too. When Kyou glanced to the window, he saw a figure standing on the small balcony. He did not blink and the figure disappeared. "…Kanon, I'll be right back," Kyou said, running off to the window.

Puzzled, she looked to him, "Hey, Kyou, I can't carry Souji by myself!" But Kyou leaped out of the window in a flash and disappeared into the night. She frowned, but then, "Gah!" Both Kanon and Souji tilted over. Souji fell on top of her while his palms hit the ground around her head. She glared and tried to push him away. "Souji, you drunken dumbass!"

He refused to get off and rested his head beside hers. "Whaaat?" he mumbled, his right arm going under her waist. He hugged her on purpose, or at least he thought he was, and said, "I'm not _thatttt_ drunk."

His clothes reeked of alcohol and she rolled her eyes. He seemed to be hugging tighter. Her left arm was locked under his right arm that was around her waist, so she was pushing him away with her other hand. "Yes, you are," she kicked around, but their legs were tangled up between each other. Her face felt warm and she felt his left hand grabbing her right hand that pushed his shoulder. "Souji, this is awkward, awkward, _awkward_! Get off of me!"

"Mmm," he pursed his lips. Moving his head to see her face, he blinked and was in a bit of daze. She blushed and her hand slipped out of his grip and she gave him a good smack on his head once again. "Ow, geez," he glared at her, shaking his head. He grabbed for her hand again and slammed it against the floor. "You shouldn't be so aggressive, Kanon."

"Bah, yousonofabitch," she grumbled, moving her arms around and kicking around once more.

Souji frowned and tried to get his mind working. "Hey, Kanon, I really like you," he blabber out of nowhere. Maybe he _was_ drunk, but he heard himself saying it rather clearly. His heart raced and he stared at her face. She stopped moving, however she seemed pissed. "Wow, you look madddd."

"Of course I am, you drunken—"

"I'm not drunk!" he told her, rising his voice. She rolled her eyes again and did not seemed convinced. "I liked you for a while now… but maybe… but I guess I a bit drunk… but…" Souji had no idea where his mind was taking him.

To her, he seemed drunk enough and he was a bit cute trying to find his words. Kanon snorted, "Okay, seriously, get off. I'm never going to try to take you to bed again, I swear."

He pouted rather childishly. "Kanon…" he frowned. How could she not see it? Maybe he should not have gotten drunk and let the words out. His feelings were actually hurting. "Believe meee…" he rubbed his cheek against her right one.

She blinked and felt a bit ticklish. "H-Hey," she used her right shoulder to push his head away. Tilting her head a little, his head dropped and his forehead touched the floor. "Arg, you smell _so_ bad," she turned her head to the right to breath any fresh air she could get.

"Hm?" he blinked tiredly. "…Really?"

"Yeah!" she told him, a bit upset. "You better take a bath soon!"

Souji's lips curled up into a smile. "Hehe…" he seemed to giggle. And Kanon made a strange, uncomfortable face while she kept her face away from smelling the alcohol. He hugged her a bit, rubbing his cheek on her again. But then she smacked him in the head annoyingly. This time, he pretend not to feel it and suggested, "Then help me take a bath~"

"Oh my god," she made a disgusted face. "You're starting to act like a baby. What a dream come true. How _drunk_ did you get?"

"I don't know," he started to baby talk. "Come on, I'll let you see my white hair again in return. Kayyy?"

Kanon smiled all of the sudden, "Oooo, sounds good."

He laughed a bit and pushed himself up to see her face. She was grinning happily and he felt like he got her to stay a while longer. "Alright," he closed his eyes, smiling widely. "Kanon, go get the bath ready for me."

"Get off first," she snapped.

Souji groaned a bit and rolled off twice. She sat up and he lay on his back with his arm covering his eyes. "I'll be right here," he told her. "Tell me when the bath is ready…"

She patted his chest and he looked at her. "Okay, but if you fall asleep, I'll kill you," she smiled innocently. It would a waste of effort if she came back finding him dozing off.

"No, I'll kill _you_," he pointed. His finger accidentally touched the tip of her nose and she slapped it away instantly. Before she moved to get up on her feet, he inquired, "Are you really okay seeing me naked?"

Kanon had a short confident laugh, "Ha! You're just a baby right now; of course I'm fine with it. I… just won't directly look at your _thing_." She snickered to herself as she turned her head away.

"Nah, I want you to look at it," he grinned, taking her hand. He swung her hand back and forth and she rolled her eyes with a smile, looking back at him. He started to wonder why she was so calm about helping him taking bath. Soon he recalled the scene back in the village when Kanon opened the window, which revealed the naked Saburo who was about to take a bath. Souji slowly spoke, "You're so bold, Kanon… have you ever slept with a—"

"Shut up and wait here, you're wasting time," she snatched her hand back. Standing up, she turned to the opened door. "The moon might be full tonight, I have to hurry!" Rushing out, she shut the door so Souji can have his privacy.

Her footstep ran off and softly echoed. '_She rather see my white hair than my thing_?' he thought to himself, rubbing his head. Geez. He was really drunk; his head was already beating like a drum. But he really wanted to stay awake since she had already made the effort to go off and prepare his bath. '_Stay awake, Souji_,' he told himself, tiredly squinting his eyes. His vision blurred and he tried to sit up.

Time passed slowly to him and Souji kept rolling around the floor. He was absolutely bored to death, but when Kanon do return, the fun will begin. Not that he would do anything to her, but he wanted to see her reactions if he teased her and maybe touched her a little more. He really wanted to grab her hand… and maybe her whole body. Maybe lay a kiss on her or two.

'_Ah shit, I'm drunk all right_,' he closed his eyes and rolled onto his stomach. He felt crazy about her all of the sudden. Maybe because it was just the alcohol. It had to be.

The door slammed open and he flinched a bit. "Okay, I talked to those pretty women to prepare a bath," Kanon walked in. Kneeling down to him, she grabbed for his right hand first. "Are you still up for it, smelly boy?"

"Yeahhh," he moved to lean against her. She almost missed her step when she got up. "I'm not heavy, am I?" he asked, pressing his cheek to her head. He could not help it since he could barely hold his own head up.

"You're very, _very_ heavy," she dryly answered, making their way out of the room now. She was holding around his waist and her right hand gripping on his hand, which his right arm was around her shoulders.

Souji mumbled a couple of words, but she could not make any sense of them so she said nothing. While they went down the hall, Souji continued to make sure his eyes were open. The two of them kept shifting from side to side because he would stumble a bit. His head limped and he stared down her chest. Her kimono was stretched off to the left and he could make out the shape of her breasts easily. His face darkened with a blush and he shook his head to snap out of it.

"I'm beginning to think this was not a good idea, no matter how much your white hair is worth it," Kanon grumbled, glaring to herself. He was too heavy and it was almost like he would pass out any moment.

"No, no, you won't regret it," he told her, forcing his feet to listen to him.

Just one more door and Kanon turned to the room that was left opened. Two same young women bowed and Kanon waved to them. "Thanks," she told them. "I'll take it from here."

The young women nodded at the same time, as if they were twins. "If you need any more assistance, we'll be outside," the one in a yellow kimono smiled.

The other woman, dressed in pink, giggled, "Don't hesitate to call us."

Kanon nodded and put Souji in a chair nearby. As the two young women walked out and closed the door after a polite bow, Kanon walked off by herself and went behind a screen wall, which was imprinted with cherry blossoms. Souji grunted and looked around slowly. It was a small room. All he could make sense off was the lanterns in the corners and hot steams behind a screen wall. Kanon returned, tying her hair into a messy low ponytail on the right side of her head.

Souji laughed a little, "You still can't tie your hair?"

She put her hands on her lips and he saw she had already tied her sleeves up her arms too. "Shut up, get undress, and get your ass to the tub," she pointed back with her thumb over her shoulder.

"Aw," he smirked. "You're not going to help me undress?"

A moment of silence and she now folded her arms to her chest. "Boy, you must _really_ be drunk," she flattened her face at him. He chuckled and ran his hand into his hair, holding back a yawn. Kanon walked to him, bending her knees and took off his shoes first. Setting them to the side, she moved to help him up. "Okay, come over here…"

He did better to walk a bit this time. They both walked behind the screen wall and he saw a round wooden bathtub that was over three feet tall. A small stepping stair was beside it too. The stand for clothes was a bit to the right next to a table that had small towel. And extra men's clothes. "Did you tell them to get me new clothes?" he inquired, looking at her. Her face was really close and when she looked back at him, he felt a bit weird.

"Yeah, they were free of charge," she smiled. He stared at her blue eyes with a warm feeling in his chest. "As if I let you wear the clothes you have on now. They stink!"

Chuckling, he could not believe she was thinking ahead. Or maybe he was just too drunk to think straight. Yes, he was still debating about how drunk he was. Standing next to the tub, she gestured him to hold himself up by using the tub to stand. He put his hands on the wooden bathtub, noticing white petals in the hot water. The sweet fragrance was nice and eased his mind a little more. His eyes widened a bit when her hands untied his waistband. '…_Maybe this was not a good idea_,' he thought, lowering his eyes as she slide the kimono off his shoulders. He feared he would grab her and eat her up if he looked at her, so he kept his eyes elsewhere.

When the kimono fully came off through his arms, she went around the tub and first hung his clothes up by the hanger stand. When she turned back, she saw he took off his pants, doing his own adjustments sloppily. Slightly turning her head to the left, she held her hand up in front of her so she would not see his private part. If only the tub was a bit taller. "Ahhh, okay, just throw them on the floor," she dryly pointed to the ground, still keeping her eyes away.

While Souji threw it to the side and moved to step on the stairs, Kanon walked toward the table and avoided looking at him. She reached for the towel on the table and then heard Souji slipped into the water rather loudly. "Ow!" he landed on his bottom safely, but it still hurt. In the tub, he realized he was sitting on a chair so the water reached up to his shoulders.

She laughed and walked up behind him. "You okay?" she leaned forward.

He nodded, "I'll be… fine…"

"See, I knew you were drunk," she grinned. She dipped the towel into the water and it got wet easily. "Wah, the water's hot," she winced, but she did not draw her hand back.

"It feels good," he smiled to himself, glancing to her. Kanon took the towel and begun scrubbing his back. He looked away and let her do it, since that was what they both wanted. She wanted to see his white hair and he wanted to be with her a little longer. "Kanon, why are you so calm about me being naked?"

She blinked, still scrubbing. "I had seen naked men before," she replied indifferently. "They used to take baths by the river all the time."

"Aw, you mean you were peeking at them?" he snickered. He moved further and put his arms out the tub to feel more relaxed.

Kanon adjusted to his movement a bit to reach for his back. "No, it was only one time when I looking for Ayumu," she told him. Souji made a face. "And no, I didn't see Ayumu naked. He wasn't there."

He blinked and glanced back to her, "…Were you shocked to see them naked?"

She raised an eyebrow, "No, they looked normal to me… which made me wonder because Aunt Akiko was always telling me it's a bad thing to see a man naked."

"How old were you then?" he inquired.

"…I was either eight or nine years old?" she shrugged. Her mind went back to cleaning his back thoroughly and he sighed rather happily. "Does it feel good?"

"Mm," he nodded. She moved the towel to scrub his shoulders and the back of his neck. He stared into space and closely paid attention to where she cleaned him. Then she turned her body to meet his face and she flicked his forehead with her middle finger. He winced and turned around on the chair. Then he leaned back on the tub and she cleaned his chest. "…Are you going to reach down _there_ and clean too?" he smirked, tilting his head at her.

Kanon made a face, as if her stomach was turning, "You can do that yourself."

So she still knew about some customs. Here he thought she was completely naïve about a man's body. "I'll let you," his smile spread more.

"Ha, no thank you," she flicked his forehead again.

He grabbed her hand and narrowed his eyes at her, "Stop doing that."

She smiled innocently, "Did that hurt?" He frowned and her hand slipped out of his hand since they were both damped with water. She bent over and patted on the spot where she hit him. "There, there, little one," she chuckled softly. Treating him like a kid was fun. Maybe she would consider turning him into a baby one day.

Souji stared at her when her face was too close. When she moved away, she drenched the towel and squeezed the water back out. While she did it again, Souji's eyes were still on her. The little hairstyle made her a tad cuter. Or was he just seeing things? Water was then splashed to his face and she giggled when he wiped the water away from his eyes. A couple of white petals got on his face too. "What was that for?" he frowned, opening one of his eyes at her.

"You looked perverted when you were staring at me, drunken Souji," she grinned, using the towel to clean his stomach. She reached far and her face was next to his head. Her arm was hurting from scrubbing in that angle and then she blinked when Souji was staring at her yet again. He was quiet and gazed into her eyes like he was drifting off into a sleep. Kanon started to feel uncomfortable and her arm started to leave from the water.

Just above her elbow, he grabbed her arm and her hand remained in the water with the towel. Her eyes opened widely when he moved his head forward and softly planted a kiss on her left cheek. Kanon instantly pulled away harder and the water splashed around them. "K-Kanon?" he looked at her, a bit startled by her alarmed reaction. Kanon's hand was over the cheek he kissed and she stared with glare. Sickened by him, she threw the towel to his face and rushed out of there. Removing he towel she thrown, he called out, "Kanon, wait!" He tried to reach out for her hand, but she had already gone far.

She almost knocked the screen wall down with her foot and hastened her pace. Sliding the door opened, she walked pass the two young women and did not look at them in the eye. '_What the hell did he kiss me for_?!' Kanon thought angrily. '_We're not even married! Stupid, drunk, Souji_!'

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

To Wings Of Silver Wishes: When you reach to this chapter at your own pace, I just wanted to thank you for taking your time to read all of this. Your reviews are very adorable!

To Aen Silver Fire: I can't believe you're still here reading this. XD Thank you so much for taking your time to leave a review!

To Everyone: And thanks to those who have favorite and followed this fanfic!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 18**

Jumping from the air and into an alleyway, Kyou landed on his feet and stood up straight as he looked over his right shoulder. "Amagiri," he called, narrowing his eyes to the shadowy figure. The tall man walked out of the dark and his blue eyes met the magenta eyes of Kyou's. They kept their distances and no one spoke. "Tsk," Kyou moved to face him. "Aren't you supposed to be back in your clan? What are you doing here? And why were you with Ren?"

"So, you had seen me together with that human?" Kyuuju closed his eyes, moving his arms to his chest to cross them. "Then I do not have to explain everything."

Kyou smirked, his fingers slightly touched his gun on the side. "You're… not in Haru's control, are you?" he inquired. When Kyuuju slowly opened his eyes, Kyou's smile became wider. There was a sudden feeling that told Kyou he should have never chased after this Oni. "Who is Haru? How did she end up controlling you?"

Footsteps echoed behind Kyou. He felt the wind running up the back of his neck and his eyes now glared to Kyuuju. "Forgive me for this, Shiranui," Kyuuju moved into a fighting stance, bringing his arms up in front of him.

With a rapid turn, Kyou felt the bigger threat was behind him. Not Amagiri Kyuuju. So he took out his gun and quickly pulled the trigger into the darkness.

[…^…]

Kanon was pacing through the halls on the third floor and eventually calmed herself because she got lost. She twirled around and blinked a few times. Just as she went to a corner, she caught sight of the two same young women. "Oh, there you are," the young woman in the pink kimono waved with a big smile.

"Your companion was worried about you," the young woman in the yellow kimono notified as all of the girls walked up to each other.

"What companion?" Kanon blinked.

"Okita-san, we think that was his name," they both said at the same time.

Kanon flattened her eyes and frowned. They _had_ to remind her. "Well, I'm tired. Can the two of you take me to my bedroom?" she inquired, glancing around.

Both young women nodded and gestured, "Right down this hall."

Smiling, Kanon walked ahead and spotted a door up ahead. That was convenient. She could not wait to sleep in a cozy place. While the two young women followed behind her, Kanon smell something pleasant in the air. It was not similar to the scent of a flower. Maybe it was incense? Looking back, she inquired, "What's that smell?"

The yellow-eyed girl replied rather sweetly, "It our Sleeping Dragon. It is rare incense we only use for special guest."

"Oh?" Kanon turned her eyes back to the front. The room was within reach and she slid the door open. It was quite the spacious room. The walls were dark brown, with black art of large trees. The lanterns in the room made the room very dim, but Kanon easily spotted a round low table, four black and white seat cushions, and a large futon to the right. In the center of the table, there was small covered golden-brown cauldron and wisps were softly rising into the air through the holes of the cauldron. There was a black tea set next to it too.

The young woman in the pink kimono giggled when Kanon rushed to the cauldron on the low table. "Is there anything you need?" she inquired.

Sniffing the wisps, Kanon smiled as she sat on seat cushion. "Nah, I'm good," she waved. Before they moved though, Kanon looked over to them. "Oh, wait… this room is mine? What about the other men?"

"You're a woman," the two of them obviously told her.

"Oh, right," Kanon cracked a smile. How thoughtful of them to have arranged everything. It was almost perfect. Kanon beamed and said, "Alright. That is all. Thank you so much for tonight!" The young women both bowed and left the room, sliding the door close. Kanon sniffed the incense again and giggled softly. "Wow, smells so unique… I wonder how people make these kinds of stuff?"

Kanon rested her head on her arms and stared at the wisps that danced in the air and disappearing as they expanded. It was beautiful. The wisps were gray and looked so comforting. And she stared at them a while longer. Blinking, she felt her eyes were getting tired. She must be very sleepy now, but the wisps were so beautiful. And warm. Kanon chuckled and played with the wisps quietly with her left fingers, wanting to stay up just a little longer.

[…^…]

Still in the bath room, Souji finally was able to dress himself and left out the door. "Kanon…" he mumbled, shaking his aching head.

"Oh, she's already tucked in."

Souji looked up at the two same young women who had provided them the service for tonight. He blinked and managed to stand up by himself. He looked to the left and then to the right before staring at them. "She went to sleep already?" he inquired. They nodded to him with a smile. "…Did she say anything?"

The pink-eyed girl had to giggle a bit. "No, but when we mentioned you, she didn't look so happy," she told him.

While he sighed, the yellow-eyed girl nodded politely, "Yes. So it's best for you to sleep as well. Shall we take you to your friends?"

"Ah… yeah," Souji closed his tired eyes, nodding. Maybe Kanon was still upset. It was strange though, because it was just a peck on the cheek. Just how offended could a girl get from that? Opening his eyes again, he waved his hand, "Okay. Take me to Hajime and Saburo-kun." Which reminded him, where did Kyou go again? That bastard just ran off without telling any of them.

[…^…]

When doors slide opened to a bedroom, Hajime was sitting on his ankles. He looked up and saw Souji walking in lazily. The young women slide the doors back closed and Souji grabbed the futon by Saburo's sleeping body. "…Souji, where's Shiranui and Kanon-san?" Hajime questioned.

"Hmm… Kanon's sleeping in another room," Souji mumbled, putting his face into the pillow.

Hajime slightly turned his head, hoping to see Kyou just pop out of nowhere. "And Shiranui?" he queried.

Taking a moment to register his words, Souji moved his mouth away from the pillow. "He ran off somewhere," Souji replied, closing his eyes.

"…Souji," Hajime called. But then the snores of the two sleeping men were the only respond. Hajime softly sighed and moved to stand up. '_We can't leave her alone like this_,' he told himself, reaching for the door. Hajime walked out quietly and closed it shut. Taking a few steps, he made his way around to find those two young women. '_Where did they leave Kanon at? This place is filled too many men_.'

Around the corners he went. Everything appeared the same and the place seemed like a maze. The moment he got around another corner, his eyes widened a bit at Kyuu and Kyuuju. The two Onis were walking over to him casually and Hajime narrowed his eyes. "Oh, Saito," Kyou smirked. "What's up?"

"…I'm looking for Kanon-san," Hajime said, standing still. He sensed no danger from them, but he was surprised to see Amagiri Kyuuju. Hajime's eyes fixed on Kyuuju's gaze and he asked, "Why are you here?"

Kyou answered instead, "I saw him and I thought maybe he could help us as a backup. Nothing wrong with that, right?" Hajime let out a grunt and Kyou scoffed. "Well, leave Kanon to me. You and Amagiri should keep an eye on the drunken guys. They're pretty defenseless themselves."

Hajime slowly stared at him. "True," he quietly agreed. And Kanon was not drunk. She carried her own weapons as well. And if Kyou was going to stick with Kanon, at least his gunshots could instantly wear off any offenders.

"Well, I'll go and find Kanon right away," Kyou waved, walking off.

As he left them, Hajime gave Amagiri Kyuuju a quiet look. "Good to see you again," Kyuuju nodded to regard him. "Shiranui mentioned little about the situation. Would you explain the details?"

"Of course," Hajime answered courteously. He moved his upper body and glanced to him. "First, we will head back to the others. Then we may speak of this in private."

[…^…]

Guarding the room where Kanon was, the young women heard footsteps and smiled to where it came from. In front of them, the light of the lanterns revealed Yuma's face when he approached them. His eyes moved down to the woman in the yellow kimono. She was holding a tray with a cup of hot water. As for the woman in the pink kimono, she was also holding a tray and only a wrapped paper was on it.

"What's this?" Yuma inquired, gradually gazing to the two of them.

The young woman in the yellow kimono smiled innocently, "Lady Haru believe you will not be arouse enough."

"Which is why she told us to prepare this for you, Yuma," the young woman in the pink kimono snickered with a smirk.

Yuma stared at the trays once again and looked almost angry. He could not believe this was _what_ Haru had in mind. He did not know until now. "Haru… wants me to…?" he murmured in disgust.

The two women smiled at the time. "Yes," they nodded, speaking in unison. "She wants you to sleep with that girl with the cursed Oni blood." A hint of rage radiated through his silver eyes and the two girls both stepped back with the same smiles. "Yuma, please drink it."

He gritted his teeth, but then Haru's voice laughed. '_Hurry up. Or do you want me to actually make you do it_?' Haru sneered. Yuma right hand turned into a fist and his nails dug into his skin. '_This is actually for the best. You'll be fulfilling your great-great-great grandfather's younger brother's wish. To marry her and have kids, don't you think_?'

"Haru, why are you doing this?" Yuma asked loudly, his body frozen with anger.

'_That's none of your business, Yuma_,' she playfully replied.

He glared at the two young women in front of him, who continued to wear innocent smiles on their faces. He did not move an inch. His thoughts formed a train because he was confused about something. Why could Haru just not use her mind-control over Kanon? Why stoop this low? Or was it just because Haru enjoyed harming others physically and mentally? Had Haru reached to her mind-controlling limit? What was the use for him to even commit such a sickening act?

'_I'll only give you an hour_,' Haru firmly warned. The pink-eyed woman held the tray with one hand and begun unfolding the paper on it, revealing the red powders. She took it and poured them into the cup of hot water, which the yellow-eyed woman was holding up. '_If you do not do this on your own will, I'll make you do it until she breaks_.' She made it sound like she was compassionate enough.

Lowering his eyes to the ground, Yuma bit his tongue. '_I… can't_,' he thought bitterly. His eyes turned golden and the back of his hair grew long. His two horns emerged from his forehead and the two young women took sidesteps away to avoid getting harm by him. "I won't do it," his demonic voice growled. "I'll do anything, but nothing like this!" He hoped using any strength he had as an Oni could break free from Haru somehow.

His mind was soon constricted, bringing a sharp pain in his head and he fell on his knees with a loud thud. He touched his head with both hands and groaned, holding back his cry. '_You can't escape from my mind-control, Yuma_,' she chuckled. Her voice was free of worry and only confidence. '_This is your final warning_.'

Yuma glared and shut his eyes closed. The pain was still caused by her power and continued to accelerate until he said he would give in to her. No matter how much he tried to get a grip, she would only make the pain worse. Not only that, her threat caused a great concern for him. People would hate him if he did something to Kanon. No one would ever forgive him for this very night. Yuma cursed himself for meeting Haru and his fist hit the ground as hard as possible.

"I'll do it," Ren called. The ache in Yuma's head stopped and he panted with his eyes at the ground, his saliva dripping at the corner of his lips. Ren walked to them and gave the two young women a serious look. "I'll do that damn dirty job, Haru."

She let out a burst of laughter. '_I wish, but I'm sorry, Ren_,' her voice rung in their minds. '_But Yuma's special. I want _him_ to do it_.'

Ren glared and could not utter a word. There was silence and Yuma was catching his breath. "But I…"

"It's fine, Ren…" Yuma told him, wiping his mouth. Ren widened his eyes as Yuma moved up to his feet. He breathed heavily and felt very faint. Yuma walked forward to the room slowly. The young woman in the yellow kimono walked to him to offer the drink, but Yuma ignored her and slide the door open.

"Yuma!" Ren walked forward.

"Ren, you're a decent man," Yuma glanced to him, his eyes glaring. "Just be quiet."

The two women blinked, "Um…" Yuma slid the door closed and never took the cup from them. "Lady Haru," the two young women looked at each other.

'_Haha, let him do what he wants_,' Haru laughed amusingly. '_I'll give him privacy and leave everything to him_.'

"Yes, Lady Haru," the young women smiled with a nod.

Ren grunted and turned around to walk away. '_Damn you, Haru_,' Ren cursed at her. '_Damn you to hell_.' She laughed again and Ren clenched his teeth, walking faster. Being under her strict command was too suffocating. So he ran faster as if she was behind him.

He ran pass Kyou, who was in another hall. Kyou's eyes were staring furiously at the ground and he said nothing as Ren just ran off. '_Everything was planned from the start_,' Kyou shut his eyes closed.

From the moment Ayumu was being chased to his own death and to the point Kanon received the winning paper draw. It was all a set up. Who was this Haru? How did she know when to strike? How did she know Sanosuke was unable use his power tonight to sense Ren and Yuma in the city? Did she actually have eyes and ears everywhere?

Slowly, Kyou opened his eyes. He was unable to find the answer as Haru forced him to think otherwise.

In the room, Yuma was leaning back against the door. He heard all of them leaving and his eyes gazed down to Kanon. She was sleeping with her arms and head on the round table. She looked too peaceful and unaware what was going to happen to her. The wisps cauldron was gone and the room felt so heavy. While he was still in his Oni form, he walked to the table and his arms moved to pick her up into his arms. As he walked to the futon on the right side of the room, she appeared to be in a deep sleep and did not respond. He lay down her down gently on the futon and bit on his tongue.

Not being able to look at her sleeping face, Yuma sat next to her for a while, facing the other way. He could sense Haru was not prying, but she warned she gave him an hour to prepare himself. It would happen sooner or later. There was no way of getting out of it. He never had hated someone so much as well as hating himself either.

Yuma slowly stared to Kanon and tried to relax himself. He did not want to feel his hatred of Haru if he was going to do this. But still, he could not believe that _sick_ woman. Erasing his rage over again, he gradually turned his body and put his right hand next to Kanon's head and hovered over her. "…I'm sorry," he whispered, gritting his teeth again. "Children of the Time Healer… I'm so sorry…"

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for the disturbing scene. The next chapter should be a bit more pleasant. I promise.

Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 19**

A soft groan escaped Saburo's lips. When he opened his eyes, the room was filled with little light. How long had he been sleeping? It felt a bit cold and he did not have any blanket. Moving his arms to help himself sit up, his eyes squinted around the room. He saw Souij was sleeping next to him. And then Saburo blinked when he saw Hajime sitting on his ankles by the door.

"Good morning, Saburo," Hajime greeted, staring at him quietly.

Saburo smiled, "Morning, Saito-san." He looked around once again. But there was only three of them. "…Where did Shiranui-san go?"

"He took off with Kanon-san a little while ago," Hajime replied without blinking.

"Huh, without us?!" Saburo rushed to get up. He wobbled a bit and covered his mouth when he almost felt sick. Hajime nodded to him and said nothing. Saburo now recalled last night and frowned down to Souji. "Aw man…" he sighed with complete defeat. "Why didn't you wake me up, Saito-san?"

"Because Kanon-san did not wish to wake the two of you up," Hajime replied. While Saburo heaved a heavy sigh, he walked forward and slid the door open. "Where are you going?"

Saburo pouted as he stared at the hall. "I'm going to apologize to Kanon-san," he grumbled ruefully. "She must have seen such an ugly sight of us drinking… And she just wanted to have fun too."

Hajime slowly blinked and watched Saburo going off as he slid the door closed. "…You are right about that incident," Hajime faintly smiled. Kanon was unusually quiet and did not look happy this morning too. She must be disappointed in Saburo and Souji for last night. Hopefully she was not as upset as they thought.

[…^…]

In the front of the house of the Fukui Residence, Sanosuke was cleaning the blade of his spear while sitting on the chair. He was just cleaning it out of habit. His eyesight was back and he did not find anyone suspicious when he woke up to use his power. So he was now waiting for the others to return from the Blooming Flowers Brothel. With that thought, he smiled as he shook his head when he imagined how Saburo and Souji could have done over there.

His mind was very occupied and he failed to notice Kanon had just walked by him. Sanosuke blinked and looked back. She had rushed into the house and did not greet him. '_Oh great_,' Sanosuke sighed. Maybe something _did_ happen to the love trio. His eyes averted from the house and his calm face changed to surprise when he saw Kyou with Kyuuju just a few ways down the road. What a random sight that was.

"Ahhh, morning, Harada," Kyou frowned, feeling tired as he stretched his arms.

"Amagiri?" Sanosuke stared to him, getting up with his spear in hand.

Kyuuju gave him a simple nod and Kyou looked grumpy. "Yeah, we ran into each other last night," Kyou explained involuntary. "So he'll be joining in our merry group."

"That's great, but…" Sanosuke continued to stare at Kyuuju. This was a bit shocking. What kind of chance was Amagiri Kyuuju showing up? Sanosuke was just really dazed.

"Saito had notified me of the situation," Kyuuju slightly bowed. His eyes gazed to Sanosuke's and he added, "If you do not wish for my assistance, I will simply take my leave, Harada."

Sanosuke blinked and smiled awkward, "Sorry, it's not that… but it's really weird. I hope I did not offend you, Amagari. We'd be happy to have you." And that was the truth enough. Sanosuke noticed Kyou seemed pissed about something the moment he walked pass him. "Shiranui, did something happen at the brothel?"

Kyuuju's eyes were calm and Kyou looked back with a glare. "Nothing happened," Kyou told him casually. "…Just a couple of drunken men got on my nerves. That's all."

"O… kay?" Sanosuke uttered. Kyou turned and walked around the house. Seemed like Kyou wanted to be alone. It was suspicious, even if Kyou often preferred to be by himself. Sanosuke glanced to Kyuuju, who faced away and was guarding the front yard like a statue. '_This is really weird_,' Sanosuke rubbed the back of his head, getting back to sit down. And he continued to tend to his spear.

Some time passed and Sanosuke stood up as he was satisfied with the blade. And very soon, Sanosuke caught sight of Saburo down the road on the right. He smiled when Saburo waved as a greeting. Kyuuju remained still as soon as Saburo walked up to the house and panted a bit. "Saburo, I heard you guys got drunk yesterday," Sanosuke smiled, raising a curious eyebrow.

Saburo frowned and seemed very defeated. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that," he bowed his head down. When he looked up, he seemed to just realize Kyuuju there and stared at him for a moment. "…Is he our new friend?"

"Yeah," Sanosuke grinned. "This is Amagiri Kyuuju."

While the tall man gazed to the young man, Saburo smiled, "Oh, nice to meet you Amagiri-san." Merely nodding, Kyuuju did not say a word. Saburo took a couple of steps forward and told them, "Kanon-san's here, right?"

"Yeah," Sanosuke looked back to him.

"Great!" Saburo rushed into the house. He did not wait and walked through the first room. It was emptied. So he checked the kitchen first. It was emptied as well. Saburo heard Little Fukui outside with Kosuzu and Ryunosuke. Checking bedroom one, Saburo saw old man Fukui napping in the futon. '_So, Kanon-san must be in the other bedroom_,' he thought. Though, there was still the dining room.

Bedroom two was closer and he slide the door open, just in case Kanon was inside. He blinked when she was wrapped in blanket, sitting by herself in the corner. Her halfway opened eyes were staring at the ground and she seemed really spaced out.

"Kanon-san?" he smiled, standing out in the hall. She did not seemed to hear and he walked in. "Kanon-san?"

She was still in the same position, staring at the ground. At first, he worried about her thinking of Ayumu and Yumeko again. However, there was no sadness in her face, so what could she thinking about? Anxious and questioning, Saburo walked over to her and bent his knees beside her. He called her name again, and this time, he reached out to touch her shoulder.

Kanon quickly slapped his hand away as if it was a reflex. "K-Kanon-san?" Saburo smiled uneasily. The way she slapped his hand almost made his heart break. Because she never done that before, other than pushing him away from hugging her.

She blinked and looked at him. "Saburo," she smiled awkwardly, wrapping herself tighter with the blanket. "H-Hey… there."

"…What's wrong?" he tilted his head to her. She really was not like herself.

"Nothing," she forced herself to say.

But he noticed something strange. It was like she was covering up something. "Um," he stopped smiling. "I'm sorry. Were you mad last night? I knocked out."

She flinched, "No, of course not!" She could not force a smile on her face.

Saburo then asked, "Want me to comb your hair for you?" She shook her head 'no' and he stared at her carefully. '_Okay, something's definitely wrong_,' his eyes narrowed. Knowing her, he thought she would object to his offer rather aggressively when it came to her hair. He even tried to comb her hair back in the village and she hit him right away. …Should he test that out?

Kanon noticed the change in his eyes and quickly stood up. "I need to use the restroom!" she quickly said, walking off as quickly as possible. Saburo grabbed her right wrist and she almost fell back. "I _said_ I need to go to the bathroom!" she yelled, not looking back at him.

He was shocked at the tone of her voice. He slowly let her go and she practically ran off in the opposite direction were the bathroom was. Saburo glared as he moved to stand up. '_Did Okita-san do something to her when I was knocked out_?' he asked himself. What else could it have been? But if that happened, Hajime or Kyou would have stopped him, right? Unless Souji found a way to fool those two and…

With his hands forming into fists, he walked out of the room and rushed through the front door. Opening it loudly, Sanosuke moved out of the way when he was walking to the door. Saburo ignored him and begun taking the road back to the Blooming Flowers Brothel.

"Saburo?" Sanosuke called to him, going to stand beside Kyuuju. But Saburo did not respond and started to dash. Sanosuke made an inquiring expression, "What's gotten into him?"

Running pass the crowd of people, Saburo's eyes glared. He did not want to jump into conclusions, but he really want to find out what happened last night. And maybe Souji was the only one who could answer to his demand. Just when he made a turn, his eyes caught sight of Hajime and Souji walking together as they were chatting.

"Geez, Hajime-kun, you could have woke all of us up," Souji complained, rubbing the aching pain behind his neck. He was looking up and tried to get his mind back together from being drunk.

"Kanon-san did not wish for that," Hajime told him. Like, for the third time. Souji sighed and was tired of hearing the same thing over and over. While Souji's head was still lifted up in the air, Hajime saw Saburo's running figure. And Saburo did not look happy. Hajime stopped walking and held out his right arm to stop Souji from walking.

As soon as Souji brought his head back down, he asked, "What?"

Saburo had grabbed for Souji's shirt and pulled on him. Hajime lightly glared as his arm was between. Before Hajime could even tell him to calm down, Saburo exclaimed, "What did you do to Kanon-san yesterday?!"

"Eh?" Souji stared at him blankly.

"Saburo, stop it," Hajime said, trying to put some distance between them. Saburo was glaring even harder, but pushed himself away and took a couple steps back. Hajime sighed at him and glanced to Souji.

"What are you talking about?" Souji continued to stare blankly.

Saburo retorted, "Kanon-san was acting strange! Tell me what you did to her right now!"

Hajime narrowed his eyes and glanced to the two of them slowly. "Souji was—"

"I just kissed her on her cheek," Souji shrugged with a frown, cutting Hajime off. There was a pause and Hajime gave Souji a slight surprised look. "That was all I did," Souji chuckled. Was Kanon really that mad at him? With a smirk, Souji looked to Saburo, who still looked angry. "What are you going to do about it?" Hajime's steady eyes stared to Souji when he asked Saburo that question.

Having the urge to grab the green-eyed man, Saburo clenched his teeth together instead. He calmed himself first and waited a few more seconds. "You think kissing isn't a _big_ deal?" Saburo demanded, his muscles tightening up.

Souji snickered, "Well, if she's making a fuss about it, then it must be really bad for you, huh?"

Why was he talking like that? Souji sounded so lay back and was not considering anyone's feeling. That was the feeling Hajime was getting. To the other guy, Hajime made sure Saburo was not going to punch out of nowhere and they remained in the middle of the road. No one moved. Saburo then scowled, "Go apologize to her right now."

"Now, why would I do that?" Souji grinned. Saburo's eyes snapped wider to him. "I was direct about it. The kiss I gave her was real. Why should I have to apologize to hint I like her?"

Saburo glared harder and stomped his feet furiously. "I told you before, Kanon-san's mine!" he exclaimed. "And you better apologize to her!"

"No way," Souji grinned wider. "She's _mine_."

"I know Kanon-san longer than you!" Saburo stared into his eyes angrily. "She would _never_ slap my hand away like that! She would _never_ yell at me with that kind of tone!"

"You think, me, apologizing to Kanon would make her treat you better or something?" Souji inquired amusingly. Saburo shut his mouth and continued to stare angrily at him. "I'm not sorry at all. And there's no point to talk about this." Souji begun walking forward and went right by him. "I'm done here."

Saburo's hand reached out, but then Hajime took it and pulled him back. "Saburo, stop," Hajime said as Saburo's eyes met his. "There is no point in violence. Right?"

"Saito-san," Saburo hissed, trying to calm down. Yes. No point in violence. Saburo's eyes turned watery and his muscles relaxed little by little. And then Hajime let him go while Souji kept on walking ahead. Saburo whimpered, "But… Kanon-san… was so _different_…"

"I am certain she would not have you fight with Souji like this," Hajime told him quietly. Saburo took a moment and nodded as he rubbed his eyes to wipe the tears away. Seconds later, Hajime patted on his shoulder and said, "Time to head back to the others. …Are you ready?"

"Uh… yeah," Saburo nodded, bringing up a sad smile to him.

Relieved, Hajime really wondered if what Saburo said was true. If Kanon was that mad to make Saburo worried, Souji should make an apology. Perhaps, for now, Hajime hoped the people around him were not too affected by this. Waiting for Saburo to walk first, Hajime went to walk beside him.

[…^…]

On the right side of the Fukui Residence, Kanon was leaning her back against the house while standing up. Her eyes were completely overwhelmed with confusion and her fingers kept shaking. But then she reminded herself of a voice that kept apologizing to her in that moment. She closed her eyes and tried to forget that painful feeling. '…_Yuma_,' she thought, letting her shoulders relax a bit. '_Haru_…?'

"Hey," Kyou's voice called rather softly.

She opened her eyes and lifted her chin up. Kyou was sitting on the roof, his feet down the edge, and he wore a guilty frown on his face. With Kanon analyzing his very expression, she thought back to last night once again. '_I had Hajime and Kyou, who should have been awake around then, right_?' she questioned herself. Her face was still blank while Kyou had jumped down to her side.

With his back to the wall, Kyou leaned and stayed next to her. '_Gosh, I hate this_,' he thought, almost biting his tongue. If only he had not chased after Amagiri Kyuuju that night. None of _that_ would have happened to Kanon. Kyou was complete disgusted with himself, though the only one to blame was Haru. Kyuuju was simply another victim.

"Can I see your gun?"

Kyou slightly looked to her at the corner of his eyes. She smiled a little and with interest. "…Have you consider using a gun now?" he smirked. Or at least, he tried to be himself a little more. There was no use to tell Kanon what happened. Haru was still in his head and she would stop him if he opened his mouth to talk about it. He could not even hint it to Kanon. There was nothing that could be done. Absolutely _nothing_.

Kanon smiled wider, "Not really, but I want to touch it and see how I like it. Maybe I might actually use one myself."

He scoffed as he grabbed his gun from his right side. "Knock yourself out then," he held it to her. "Just don't pull the trigger."

She nodded and moved her hand to touch the gun. Wanting to turn around, she tripped on her own toe. "Ah?" she blinked, falling to the side.

Kyou rolled his eyes and grabbed her with his left hand. With a face of uncertainties, she pulled on his left hand roughly as her leg kicked the back of his knee and he fell forward over to her. "What are you—" Kyou was startled. Landing on her knees awkwardly, Kanon pulled on his shoulders and let his face fall right onto her. His eyes snapped opened and a light flashed by.

"I won't let Haru take you away," Kanon whispered with her eyes closed.

"Shiranui!" Kyuuju's voice struggled to warn.

Kyuu glared as the light disappeared from his and her body. He held his gun with his right hand and his right arm went around Kanon's waist. He jumped into the air with her as Kyuuju had just punched into the ground. Kyou spun in the air and Kanon's arms wrapped around his neck. He grinned to her and she wore a faint smile of victory. "Thank you, Kanon," he said. Haru's control was completely gone now. That suffocating lock vanished.

Before Kyou landed over to the roof of another house next door, Kanon quickly notified, "Use your hand to direct where you want to control gravity."

'_To Amagiri_?' Kyou blinked. He quickly acted as his feet landed on the roof. She got her footing as his arm her go. Kyou saw Kyuuju was looking up and was just about to move to get away. With a pleased smirk, Kyou's hand reached out and he slapped down through the air.

Kyuuju felt the air pressuring down on him. Within a few seconds, his body was forced into the ground and the air was heavy against his back. '_Amagiri Kyuuju, get out of there_!' Haru shouted angrily.

'_As you can tell, I'm trapped_,' Kyuuju said. And he was relieved to be.

'_Yuma! Hurry and stop them_!' Haru ordered. Kyuuju narrowed his eyes and estimated the time Yuma would actually get here.

"Wow, I like this power," Kyuu whistled, playing with his gun.

Kanon had jumped down from the house and walked to Kyuuju, where the air looked like heat waves on his back. From the backyard, Kosuzu, Ryunosuke, and Little Fukui peeked out from the house. "So, you're under Haru's control as well?" Kanon lowered her body as she bent her knees to Kyuuju.

While Kyuuju's lips were sealed, Kosuzu turned to Ryunosuke. "Take Little Fukui inside," she whispered.

Ryunosuke touched the confused Fukui's shoulder and teleported him into the house. "Done," Ryunosuke said, his eyes over to Kanon and the others. '_Did she said Haru_?' he thought to himself.

Kosuzu sighed, "No, Ryunosuke. I wanted you to take him there, not teleport him." She hurried off to the back door, fearing Little Fukui would get hurt if he tried to come out where the danger was.

Ryunosuke watched her go for a moment and he walked toward the others. Sanosuke had came around from the front door and the moment he saw Kyuuju being held down by a strange heated air, Sanosuke's eyes quickly glowed to track down any incoming enemies. "Yuma's above us!" Sanosuke warned, looking into the sky. He was not sure how, but he was coming right down and was directly to Kyou. "Shiranui!"

With a grunt, Ryunosuke focused his power on Kyou. Just as Yuma, in his Oni form, rained down with his blade, the sword struck the ground as Kyou was teleported in the back yard of the Fukui home. Yuma wasted no time and moved his feet. But then he stopped as soon as his eyes lay upon Kanon.

She was still next to Kyuuju with her knees still bent. But she was staring to Yuma quietly. His body was shaking to fight back a control. '_I'm sorry_,' he wanted to say, his eyes trembling.

'_Damn you, Yuma_!' Haru growled. She did not understand why his body became stiff. And so she changed the flow of his body and Yuma had begun moving again. '_How dare Kanon see through my control over Kyou_!'

Just as Souji came around to see what the commotion was about, his eyes glared as Yuma leaped into the air like a bird over to the back yard. "Hey!" Souji called, his hand on the handle of his katana.

"Ryunosuke!" Kanon shouted over to him. "Teleport all of us outside of town!"

He listened and quickly worked his way as he stared back. His mind went white and he teleported everyone around him easily. Everyone, but for him though, and then he walked around to the front of the house and saw Hajime and Saburo running to him. "Good," Ryunosuke thought out loud. He needed to make sure where the two men were to teleport them all together. And then Ryunosuke counted Kosuzu in the house and he used his power once again on them one more time.

Within a blink, the area where they were teleported to was just right out side to the west of the town wall. Hajime saw Kyuuju getting up from the ground and before the others react, Yuma had charged to aim his blade to Kyou. And as Ryunosuke panicked, he used his power again, wanting to teleport Yuma away.

Kyou took a good look at Yuma's Oni form. And he took note of Yuma's unusual horns. '_No Oni that I know had long horns like that_,' Kyou thought, bringing up his gun to aim.

But then Yuma seemed to have teleported and now his blade directed over to Kanon. "Ah, damn!" Ryunosuke cursed. It would seem he used his power out of panic again. '_And of all people, why Kanon_?!'

Kyuuju forced his feet into the ground, fighting against Haru's control momentarily.

The blade was already close. All of the guys barely moved to go and save her because it was merely a second. Kanon slightly backed away and Yuma's blade turned to the right and the sharp edge slice a bit of her skin on her neck and then through her hair. The blade stopped and the sound of it rung coldly in her right ear. Her eyes widened as he almost pushed her over and he stared into her blue eyes shamefully. Did he change the course of his attack to avoid hitting her? Or was it because of the teleportation power? Before Kanon could even grab for his arm, he pushed her away and took a few steps back himself.

Dropping his gun, Kyou used both hands to keep Kyuuju and Yuma down with his power. When the gravity above the two men fell on them, Yuma was still standing against the gravity while Kyuuju fell to his stomach once again. Kyou widened his eyes, a bit shocked, '_Why isn't Yuma_…?' Yuma's golden eyes glared and he tried to untangle himself out of the gravity Kyou was casting on him.

In that instant, Saburo wanted to do something to help. Sanosuke was still trying to scan the area with his power to track any other possible enemies. Ryunosuke pulled on Kosuzu's hand to have her closer behind him. Hajime's observing eyes were watching over them, his own hand on the handle of his katana.

As for Souji, he took this chance to thrust his katana to Yuma's back for the Oni was unable to free himself of the gravity yet. But then Kanon swiftly stood behind Yuma and opened her arms to shield him. Souji could always strike pass her head, but her eyes were burning at him and sent a message for him to back off. Pausing his katana in midair, it stopped in front of her face and Souji stared at her, unclear of her motive.

Yuma looked over his right shoulder as his body was still trying to get out of the gravity under Haru's mind control. "Kanon… why are you protecting him?" Souji inquired quietly, his two hands gripping tightly onto his katana.

It was not like he would kill Yuma on the spot. Souji was simply concerned Yuma would attack if he broke from the strange air that held him in place. But the look in Kanon's determined eyes… she did not wish for Souji to harm Yuma. Not even a single scratch.

And what else was behind the meaning of her deadly gaze?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 20**

"Yuma, have you ever thought about getting a fine woman and get married?" Ren's bored voice asked.

Hajime's eyes lifted from the fire and he glanced to Ren and Yuma. The three of them were sitting around a campfire, keeping themselves warm under the starry night. Ren was staring at the clouds while Yuma was watching the movements of the flame.

"No," Yuma answered quietly.

"Eh?" Ren brought his eyes to the silver headed man. Yuma was always so calm, even his answers were almost boring. "You're kidding, right?" Ren smirked. "All men want to marry and have kids."

Yuma continued to stare into the flames. "Is that what you desire, Ren?" he inquired.

"Aw, sure," Ren supposed with a grin. "And when I do get marry and have kids, I will name the first boy Yuma, and then I will name the second boy Hajime."

There was silence in the air. Hajime blinked and did not seem to react much to Ren's words. But then he questioned, "Why would you want to name your sons after us?"

Ren snickered and picked up a stick next to him and begun poking the fire. "…Because we're under Haru's control," he replied, lowering his voice. "I would hate to remember about all of this, but we're pretty much friends, stuck in the same fate." He smiled and chuckled, "I don't want to sound cheesy, but the two of you are my first friends I made. And it's about time for me to truly cherish that."

Hajime studied Ren's eyes that were sparked with life and kindness. It seemed Ren liked to be around them, despite of Haru's control. He did seemed to mind either as long as he had friends to talk to. Hajime still wondered though, about why Ren and Yuma were calm about this. Ah, actually, Hajime was calm himself. That led him to think there was nothing they could do, but to keep each other company.

"What about you, Hajime?" Ren looked over to him. "Did you want a make a family for yourself too?"

His eyes twitched and he looked away slowly. "I…" Hajime uttered, but he could not begin that sentence. He just never thought about it before. His duty and life were devoted to the Shinsengumi. And that was all.

Ren sighed sadly at Hajime and turned his eyes to Yuma. "Okay, seriously," Ren tried to be more positive. "None of you want kids? Why not? Give me a reason already."

"Because if I ever loved a woman, she would be cursed along with the hatred of what my family carried," Yuma clarified with his eyes still glued to the dancing fire. Ren and Hajime gazed to him silently. "I do not wish to have the Kuromori Oni Clan to exist any longer. Therefore, I shall be the last one. To end everything that started many years ago."

On that night, Hajime never understood what Yuma meant by that. However, after confronting his friends and meeting with Kanon, Hajime grasped Yuma's purpose. That was the reason why Hajime would stop Yumeko from harming Yuma back then. Hajime hoped to help Yuma somehow. And some way. But as long as Yuma was under the mind control, there was no way of telling how anyone could achieve it.

Yet, what did Yuma had in mind to actually end everything that started long ago?

[…^…]

"Why are you protecting him?" Souji inquired again, his eyes now glaring into Kanon's own. Her gaze never changed in that moment. And Souji was beginning to hate it very much. He hated how she was guarding Yuma without taking her own two short swords to block Souji's attack. He hated it more when she did not give him an answer.

Sanosuke's voice then roared, "Everyone, there is an large group of people with rifles coming this way!"

In that second, Yuma stomped on the ground and escaped Kyou's gravity with a jump into the air. "Hey!" Saburo stepped forward. He wanted to catch Yuma. Because if they caught him, Kanon could free him of Haru's control. But then Yuma glanced back with one look to Kanon's back, he vanished into thin air.

"Ah, geez!" Ryunosuke glared. "Where did he go?!"

Kosuzu called to everyone, "We should hurry out of here!"

Without hitting on the sharp edge, Kanon slapped Souji's katana away as her glare softened. She turned around and hurried to Kyuuju. Souji lowered his blade and could not help but wondered what her intention was when she defended Yuma like that. He lightened up his stare and looked over to Hajime, who was on the lookout. Faint horses were heard in the distant.

Making certain Kyuuju was trapped, Kyuu kept up with his power as he lowered his other hand that could not hold Yuma back. Just as Kanon kneeled down to Kyuuju, a gunshot was fired. Everyone were all frightened and tried to find where the bullet was coming from. In the corner of Kyou's eyes, he saw a bullet was heading directly to him. '_Why are they aiming at me_?' Kyou was asking himself in that split second. Was it because Haru could not afford to let Kyuuju escape from her control? Did Kyuuju know something they were not aware of? Yuma had been going after Kyou as well. That would make sense if they aimed for Kyou.

Before the bullet hit, it had disappeared and appeared over their head and shot into the town wall. Taking a deep breath, Ryunosuke had a sweat on his face and he tightened his grip on Kosuzu's hand. Kyou smirked and glanced to him, "Thanks a bunch, Ibuki." To have Ryunosuke teleport a fast-moving bullet was really something!

With a single finger, Kanon touched Kyuuju's forehead and watched the light formed. '…_I knew my healing power changed a bit_,' she narrowed her eyes. Something altered it, but this was better. She did not have to bend down to use her forehead against his. That would have been an awkward position.

'_Damn you, Kanon_!' Kyuuju heard the last of Haru.

Saburo rushed over to them as Hajime looked back to the others. "Ibuki, teleport us away from here," Hajime told him, walking over to the group. Sanosuke's eyes were still glowing and he turned his back to the others as he took a couple of steps back. "Hurry," Hajime stared over to him and Kosuzu.

"Alright, I'll try," Ryunosuke uttered, his breath shaking. As the light between Kyuuju and Kanon disappeared, Ryunosuke soon used his power and created a clear map in his head. His power was getting clearer and he knew where to safely take everybody. And then he teleported every one of them away from the eyes of the enemies.

Within those few moments, men armed with rifles were riding horses and stopped in the middle of their tracks. The one who led them was Ren and a man in black armor, the same armored man who attacked Ryunosuke and Kosuzu back in the hospital.

'_Ren, wait for my orders_,' Haru told him.

The eye patch guy smirked, "Lucky for them to get away, right Akio?"

The man in the black armor glanced to him quietly. His long, brown ponytail hair was tied back and his deep orange eyes blinked. "Why would you say that?" Akio inquired, composed. "Are they not the enemies?"

Ren chuckled, turning his horse to face the man. "Because I'm starting to feel sorry for them," he honestly said. Akio's eyes drifted away and Ren smiled. '_Akio and some of these men aren't under Haru's control_…' But they agreed to work for her because they wanted to expel the foreigners. If only Ren could tell them about Haru, who only cared about the Time Healer's child.

"It would appear Ren-san is trying to tell me something," Akio thought out loud. "Whatever it is you're hiding, I'll find the answer myself someday."

With a pause, Ren stared at him blankly. "Heh," Ren smirked to him. Akio was a lot smarter than he looked. '_Haru, you can't control so many people forever, right_?' Ren inquired mentally. Of course, she did not respond.

[…^…]

The teleportation power took everybody in the middle of a deep forest. Ryunosuke fell on his knees and Kosuzu hurried to help him. "What's wrong?" she asked with concerned.

He raised his hand to assure her he was fine. "Teleporting a large group of people just snapped most of my energy away," Ryunosuke closed one of his eyes, smiling to her. "I'll be fine though." There was that bullet he tried hard to teleport too.

"Geez, that means we can't count on Ibuki all the time," Souji complained with his eyes on the couple. Ryunosuke shot a glare to him and Kosuzu smiled with a pat on Ryunosuke's shoulder. Afterwards, Souji gazed over to everyone.

Kyuuju was dusting himself with Hajime approaching him carefully. Kyou put his gun in its place and Sanosuke's eyes checked around the area for safety issues. Saburo whispered words of concern to Kanon, who had not wore a single smile on her face. She does not smile all the time, but something really felt off about her. Was she still mad at Souji for the kiss on the cheek?

"I cannot thank you enough, Kanon-san," Kyuuju closed his eyes, bowing down his head.

She and Saburo were in front of him now and she nodded. "You're welcome," she told him, her eyes getting watery. Her fingers twitched when she had a short thought about Yuma. "What was your name?"

"Amagiri Kyuuju," he introduced himself. "I'm an Oni."

Everything seemed to be connecting to Onis lately. And Kanon was reminded of Yuma again. She could not get him out of her head. And that one night kept rushing back to her. Once more, she ignored it, trying to get her mind together by shaking her head. "Tell me what you know about Haru," she stated, looking up to him seriously. "I'm so _tired_ of her shit."

"Kanon-san," Saburo widened his eyes. She did not look at him, so he said, "Isn't Haru good at hiding herself? There's no way Amagiri can know."

"I do know," Kyuuju told them, surprising everyone as well as filling them with hope. "Her full name is Kazama Haru."

"What?" Sanosuke's eyes stopped glowing and he walked over to them. Souji did the same while Ryunosuke and Kosuzu stood where they were. "Are you serious? _Kazama_?"

"Her maiden name is Kimura Haru," Kyuuju corrected before any misunderstandings arose. "She married Kazama's younger brother three years ago."

Kyou blinked, "…For real? Kazama had a sister-in-law? And he even _had_ a brother?"

"I don't care who she is," Kanon earnestly sighed. "Tell me what her object is."

Hajime then answered, "She mentioned she wanted to revive her brother…" He was once under her control, although that was the only information he learned of.

"And do you suppose she _meant_ Kazama Chikage?" Souji stared at them strangely. They were in-laws after all. But the question was, what kind of relationship Haru had with Chikage to go to a drastic measure? "Did something happen to Kazama?" Souji inquired, looking to Kyuuju.

A sigh escaped Kyuuju's lips. He closed his eyes and shook his head, "Kazama passed away… after he fought with Hijikata?"

"Hijikata-san's alive?" Hajime's eye widened to him.

Souji's arms itched to learn more when Sanosuke queried, "Where is Hijikata-san now?"

When Kyuuju opened his eyes, they remained with the same quiet emotion. But the news he gave was dreadful, "Kazama died in Hijikata's blade… and Hijikata's life was snapped away from his overuse of his Rasetsu form."

"Say _that_ again!" Souji moved roughly forward. He wanted to grab Kyuuju's shirt, but Saburo held him back uneasily. "Hijikata-san must still be alive! He can't leave us like that!" After going through the trouble to keep Hijikata safe that day, Souji exchanged it for his own. "He can't be—"

"Souji!" Sanosuke and Hajime narrowed his eyes to him. As heartbreaking as the news was, they could not afford to lose sight of life. The concerned Saburo gently pushed Souji back a bit more to keep any fight from breaking out. Souji glared and gritted his teeth in silence.

Kanon then voiced, "So Haru cares for her brother-in-law, Kazama Chikage… A sister who cares about her brother… just like me?"

Kyuuju's blue eyes stared to her own blue, watery eyes. "I am truly sorry for the loss," he bowed his head again. She looked very hurt and it seemed unfair. "But this is all I know. I met Haru-san a few times, but not enough to understand her motives."

Tears fell from Kanon's eyes and she rubbed them, keeping her fingers under her eyes. "I don't get it," she murmured, her voice breaking. "W-Why did she have to kill Ayumu…? Why did she have to… make me suffer like this? Why?" Kosuzu walked over to them and went to hug Kanon closely. "_Why_?"

Souji grunted softly. His hand gripped the handle of his katana. He really wanted to kill Haru for bringing tears to Kanon like that.

"You're not the only suffering, Kanon-san," Ryunosuke called firmly. All of the men looked to Ryunosuke, who was very serious what he said. Kanon's tears stopped and Kosuzu moved to smile at her. "…Just live, okay?" Ryunosuke lowered his voice to sound gentler.

'_Live_,' Kanon closed her eyes, moving to hug Kosuzu closer. '_I have to… keep living_…'

Sanosuke smiled approvingly to Ryunosuke, who blushed back and snapped his head away. Hajime and Souji exchanged quiet looks and Saburo's hand patted on Kanon's shoulder. Kyou sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"I suggest we put an end to her," Kyuuju uttered. Surprised, everyone looked to him and he nodded. "Kazama Haru killed her own husband and became a stray months ago. Her own people want her dead for she inflicted pain on both Onis and humans. She meddled too much with the world, abusing her power." Kyuuju was not the type to say this, but this was what he felt. A monster like Haru must be stopped.

"My thoughts exactly," Kyou smirked, raising a fist. "I won't ever forgive her for what she did to Kanon that night."

"But revenge isn't good," Saburo looked to him, worried about the bloodshed. "I know Ayumu and Yumeko died because of her, but…"

With a blank face, Kyou stared at him in silence. Kanon eyed to Kyou emotionlessly and Kyou returned a quiet stare. '_I shouldn't tell anyone_?' he asked himself. Kanon would be too ashamed of herself if they found out. Kyou kept calm about it and fixed his gaze elsewhere.

"We'll find Haru," Kanon considered, breaking from Kosuzu's embrace. "I think it's about time we strike back… Right?"

"I'll be there for sure," Souji declared, staring at her back with a smirk.

Sanosuke noted, "As I have said before, we're in this together." Hajime nodded in the background.

Kanon then took Kosuzu's hand and they looked at each other. "Kosuzu… you and Ryunosuke do not have to involve yourselves with this," Kanon told her softly. Kosuzu stared at her with a bit of shock. "You're not the type to fight. You and Ryunosuke still have a future together, am I wrong?"

As Ryunosuke seemed embarrassed about something, Kosuzu smiled. "Kanon-chan, Ayumu-san saved me and Ryunosuke," she reasoned. "I shall return the flavor by aiding your as well. It is the only way to repay for his kindness, as well as your own." Kanon lowered her eyes ruefully and Kosuzu gently patted on the hand that held hers. "I have _super_ strength, you know," Kosuzu giggled.

"EH?" Ryunosuke and Kanon stared at Kosuzu, stunned.

Kosuzu smiled, winking, "Ayumu-san told me it was my power. That is why I am certain to remain by your side. I will be useful to you. Thus, we will go through this together."

"Hey, prove it to me by having an arm wrestle," Saburo curiously stared at her, raising his hand to her.

"No, I will only use it to protect," Kosuzu blinked to him, meaning every word she said.

Ryunosuke walked to them and stated, "I want to see that arm wrestle too." He just could not believe Kosuzu did not mention it until now. A bony girl with a crazy strength would be so interesting.

"What are you, a child?" Kosuzu gave him a light sigh.

Souji snickered, "I liked to see it too."

"This isn't the time," Hajime told the others with his eyes closed. Sanosuke had to laugh and Kyou was smirking.

Kyuuju made eye contact with Kanon. Her tears were gone and a small smile was on her face. She was lucky to have people like them around her. Life was still continuing. Kyuuju faintly nodded to her and she seemed to be relieved and happy. That suited her better than her tears.

"Kanon-san!" Saburo hugged her. "You're finally smiling! I missed you!"

Her smiled disappeared with Souji grabbed Saburo's head. "Don't get too touchy," Souji sneered. To his surprise, Kanon pulled on Saburo and hugged him tighter. Souji noticed her sticking her tongue at him and looked displease. '_She's definitely still upset_,' Souji gloomed as Saburo cried happily in Kanon's arms.

Kyou was now exchanging silent looks with Kyuuju. Those two were the only ones who knew what _exactly_ happened last night. Eventually, that secret will leak out. They could not hide it forever. How would Kanon handle it if everyone found out?

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for any mistakes you see. I am a slow editor and something like typos and grammar escape my eyes every time. 8D

Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 21**

"Kanon, where are you?"

The little girl lifted her head up in a forest with tall dried grasses. "Over here, Aunt Akiko!" Kanon called. "I found a injured person!"

"Oh, Kanon, don't you…" a young woman merged from the tall grasses. She was a woman with very long brown ankle-length hair and her eyes were in the color of the brown earth. She had trailed off in her sentence when her eyes lay upon Kanon. And there was another girl on the ground.

Perhaps at the same age, the mysterious girl seemed unconscious. Her short hair was blond and bruises were covering all over her arms and legs. "I think she's still alive," Kanon pointed, looking at Akiko innocently.

"That poor child…" Akiko paced to them and kneeled down. She picked the girl with the blond hair and studied the young face carefully. The little girl was still breathing and her pained expression appeared as if she was having a bad dream. "Her hair… she really must have come from so far."

"Can I heal her?" Kanon pressed her cheek to Akiko, her eyes on the other girl.

With a soft smile, Akiko kissed Kanon's cheek. "No, but let's bring her to the village," Akiko suggested, standing up with the little girl with blond hair in her arms. "Perhaps we can do something to save her life."

Kanon beamed and her hand grabbed for Akiko's pink sleeve. "Yay!" she cheered. "Time to save another life!"

[…^…]

It was the next day. Kyou mentioned he met Haru in the same town before, so they were cautious about going back there. Simply checking how the enemy was moving. It was mostly Sanosuke's job to do that. They were certain Haru knew something about how they move as well, which was why Ryunosuke was teleporting them every now and then. They continued this for two more days. And the enemy had been silent for some reason.

Furthermore, there was one thing that was so out of the picture… Sanosuke had noticed Kanon had looked rather nauseated since the last two days.

"Kanon… I think you're pregnant," Kyou whispered.

His words hit her like a ghost running through her body. Kanon was sitting on the ground with her bare feet in the flowing river. Behind her were Kyou and Kyuuju, who stared at her frozen back. The other men had gone to bathe. As for Ryunosuke and Kosuzu, the two of them went to get snacks for everyone to eat.

"…I'm what?" Kanon's eyes were wide opened. She gaped at the waters and tried to be calm.

Kyou grunted, feeling uncomfortable. "I think… and I do _think_… you're having a baby," Kyou then nudged Kyuuju's arm.

"Yes," Kyuuju said, his voice clear and still.

There was silence and Kanon slowly covered her face with her hands. "…Noooooo," she murmured. "No, no, no…"

"Yes," Kyuuju uttered once more. Kyou nudged him again, lightly glaring to the tall Oni. Kyuuju did not respond to the bluehead though.

Kanon took a deep breath and turned in her seat with one leg out of the river. "How does _that_ work?" she inquired with an upside down smile. "Was it because… um… Yuma… he…" her face turned red while the two Oni stared at her blankly. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Amagiri, don't you think it's too early for Kanon to have signs of pregnancy?" Kyou stared at him. He was not an expert on this topic.

"…Perhaps," Kyuuju nodded, looking at him. "But it may vary."

Whining, Kanon stood up and bowed to them. "Please, please, _please_ don't tell anybody!" she begged.

"Okay, we got it," Kyou promised, frowning at her. "But really…" She fixed her eyes to him and he sighed. "If you're really pregnant, you can't hide it forever."

Kanon slapped her face and paced around in circles. This was truly a horror. "…In that case," she determinedly made a fist and lifted her chin up to the sky. "After we're done with Haru, I shall escape! No one will ever know!"

"Being a single mother is quite harsh," Kyuuju warned in a considerate manner.

"I can't bear to let any of them know!" Kanon walked toward him. She took Kyuuju's arms and tried to shake him, but failed to because he was as hard as a heavy stone. "What do you expect me to do? Get rid of the baby? Is there some kind of magic to make it go away?"

At the same time as Kyuuju had no comment, Kyou faced to her. "Kanon, you can't do that," he judged. (**A/N**: in Japan, abortion was legalized in 1948.)

"Shiranui is right," Kyuuju closed his eyes to heave a sigh. Kanon whimpered and hugged Kyuuju desperately, who was as still as a statue. "You are carrying a life, Kanon-san. You must accept it."

She groaned and slid her face down on his chest, slowly back away. '_But… I'm not ready_,' she kept her thoughts to herself, playing with her fingers. And she was not ready to be a mother. The idea of it scared her and she tried to remain composed. And now she felt like shouting. She needed to find a way to let it out. So Kanon turned her body to the river. Cupping her mouth, she exclaimed, "Damn you, Haruuuuu!"

"What's wrong now?" Souji's voice was heard.

Kyuuju and Kyou shut their mouths right away as Kanon instantly moved her body, seeing as Souji was running his hand through his wet hair. He had just amble down along the river and he stopped when Kanon practically stomped right in his direction. Souji stopped walking, blinking as Kanon drew both of her short swords.

"Souji, prepare yourself!" she angrily shouted, dashing now.

"Hey—" he stared blankly. His hand took his katana as he quickly drew it out when she struck her blade. Guarding against her, her right blade hit against his katana and the two of them pushed against each other. He smirked as her eyes clearly were filled with a sudden rage. "I'm not your punching bag, Kanon."

She pouted annoyingly and struck with her left hand that held another blade. Souji's eyes shifted to it and he gave her a harsh push with his katana as he backed away, swinging his blade outwards to block her blade again. "Tsk!" she raised her left hand to have her sword slide up against the handle of his katana.

Within that instant, Souji snickered and his katana knocked her blade away easily. She was surprised and he commented, "That's strange, is your strength weakening?"

"No, of course not!" she retorted, blindingly charging forward to attack with other sword. Her grip was not strong enough when he seemed to have magically knocked it out of her hand as well. Souji used his left hand to grab her shoulder, twirling her around and pulled her back up against his chest. Losing a bit of balance, she blinked with a red face as he securely held her.

The reason she blushed was because being close to a man reminded her of Yuma. He had been the only one who was _so_ close to her. Quickly, she tried to erase the process of that thought and anything with Yuma.

"I think you've lost your touch," Souji whispered with a smirk, enjoying holding her. "Kanon."

Saburo jumped from the air and kicked right into Souji's spine. "DON'T TOUCH HER!" Saburo angrily glared. His own hair was wet from bathing.

Kyou and Kyuuju ignored the scene as Kanon and Souji both almost fell off balance. She escaped at the same time and Souji steadied his footing and shot an irritated look to Saburo, who had put his hands on his hips. "Saburo-kun," Souji hissed with an eyebrow twitching.

After gaining her own balance, Kanon glanced back casually. She watched the two men sending sparks of war by staring at each other. That was when she realized it. '_Ohhhhh, god_,' her eyes flattened. Though, she was not so sure. Maybe, just _maybe_… the two men had interests in her. She hated having to see them like this and thought, '_I probably should confess… about… the baby_.'

You know. To make them stop fighting over her.

If she did not tell them now, they would have fought over nothing. And she had no desire to break their hearts. Should she tell them? Should she? Kanon could not bring herself to do it and only went to pick up her short swords from the ground. She just felt so humiliated for not looking after herself that certain night. And what if she really was not pregnant and just was sick?

When Souji returned his katana into its sheath, his back ached. "Ouch…" Souji mumbled, rubbing his back.

Saburo's eyes widened and he hurried to Souji. "Oh my god, are you okay?!" he panicked, looking really worried.

"Of course not," Souji grinned, winking to him. "You used too much force. If I known you were heartless, I would have kept my guard up."

"I'm sorry," Saburo cringed, feeling even worse. He did not mean to hurt Souji. It was out of blind fury. Saburo's eyes searched for Kanon, who stood a few ways from them. "Kanon-san, can you help heal Okita-san?"

Kanon let out a sigh, "Don't harm him if you're going to feel sorry."

"Please?" Saburo smiled nervously, putting his palms together in front of his lips.

She rubbed the back of her head with one eye closed while Souji smirked over to her. '…_Lately, something has been strange about my healing power too_,' she noted to herself. She could feel it changing inside of her. Thinking about the conversation with Kyuu and Kyuuju, she concluded, '_Is it because I'm carrying another life inside of me_?'

"Kanon-san?" Saburo waved, making a blank expression.

Her eyes snapped out of it and she blinked a couple of times. "Uh, yeah, sure," she nodded, walking over to Souji. The green-eyed man could not stop smirking and Kanon narrowed her eyes with a second thought. Within a few more steps, she tapped her finger on his forehead.

Every man watched the light faintly flashing by and nothing else. She marched off and Souji gave her a weird face. "Kanon, what happened with the forehead-to-forehead?" he inquired curiously. He now recalled she also tapped on Kyuuju's head to free him from the mind control too.

Giving thumbs up without looking back, she said, "I got stronger."

"Really, powers grow?" Souji followed her, even more interested.

Kanon paused in her steps and Souji stood by her side. Folding her arms to her chest, she tilted her head, "You know what… I _think_ they do."

With wonder, she tapped her finger on her chin as Saburo moved to face her. "Really?" he beamed, excited. "How will my grow?"

"I don't know," she shrugged and stopped thinking about. "No one told me about it." She had no other excuse because she refused to tell them about the change in her body. Which was why she had to make stuff up. "Maybe it's just me? …But if I notice one of you and the others' powers growing, then I can confirm it."

"What if it takes years?" Kyou asked. She shrugged to him and he then looked to Kyuuju. "…What's your power?"

"I do not need such a thing," Kyuuju remarked with his eyes staring nowhere.

Kanon chuckled, "Yeah, he told me not to tell him either. I haven't checked what kind of power he had… so…"

"Why don't you look anyway?" Souji nudged her. "Just in case we need an extra help when the time comes."

"Not a bad idea," Kyou nodded. Kyuuju said nothing as Kanon began to studied the tall Oni carefully.

Ryunosuke and Kosuzu teleported between them, both carrying baskets. "Old Man Fukui sneaked some fruits to us," Ryunosuke said, gesturing the basket to them.

Kanon looked away from Kyuuju. "How are they doing?" she inquired, walking to the couple.

"They're fine," Ryunosuke smiled with relief.

Kosuzu was smiling too and Kanon felt at ease. As long as the Fukui Family were safe, then nothing else really mattered. …However, finding Haru was still their first goal. Sanosuke had mentioned he could not find Yuma or Ren anywhere.

Just where did the enemies go?

[…^…]

"Hajime… correct me if I'm wrong," Sanosuke started. The two of them were walking back after bathing last. Hajime looked to the taller man at the corner of his eyes. "Shiranui was the one who watched over Kanon-chan that night at the brothel, yes?"

With a simple nod, he replied, "That is right." He wanted to ask why, but Sanosuke continued discussing.

"And Kanon had to 'free' Shiranui from the mind control too…" Sansouke rubbed his chin and his eyes serious. "Do you think he met Haru during that time as well?"

Hajiime collected himself first. It sounded possible. "I would assume that myself," he answered. "The reason I believe so was because he was with Amagiri before Shiranui said he would go and check on Kanon-san… Amagiri was under her mind control for some time, as we all familiar with. However… Shiranui may not have known about Amagiri." It was hard to analysis this without asking the Onis. Hajime was not even sure where his thoughts were leading.

"So, if Shiranui was under the mind control… and from what you told me just now, he offered to keep an eye on Kanon-chan… Do you suppose something happened to her that night?" Sanosuke stared at him. They both stopped walking and looked to each other to consider the matter. Hajime was dead silent and Sanosuke broke off the stare. "Never mind. Let's ask Shiranui if anything actually occurred when we were not around."

"Inform me of something first, Sano," Hajime wanted to say before they moved on. Sanosuke nodded, smiling to him. "Is there reason why you are asking these questions?"

Sanosuke emit a long, deep breath, expressing concern. "Have you noticed when we're cooking and eating?" he inquired. Hajime blinked and gave no answer. "Kanon-chan… looked like she wanted to throw up. I think I caught her running off and actually… vomiting."

"…And?" Hajime studied Sanosuke's face. He was not sure where Sanosuke was going with this, but he knew Sanosuke was worried about the situation very much.

After a long pause, Sanosuke's eyes met Hajime's. "She was always healthy. At least, to me, she was. …So, I feel that…" he slowly uttered. "I feel she may be pregnant… or something."

"Sano, this is not a joking matter," Hajime quickly said with his eyes widening a bit. "Why do you think Kanon-san is… with a child?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Sanosuke admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe she's simply sick … but she had been sleeping a little more often too, like she was always tired. And those two traits of Kanon-chan had me concluded them as signs of pregnancy. I know this is too much to think, and I'm not a doctor either, but…"

Hajime closed his eyes and shook his head. With a short train of thoughts, he opened his eyes and glanced away. "…That would explain one thing," he murmured.

Curious and his chest tightening, Sanosuke queried, "Explain what?"

"…Regarding the way Yuma and Kanon-san were acting toward one another the other day," Hajime fixed his gaze to Sanosuke again. Sanosuke looked surprised as it hit him. Hajime mentioned this because he was watching the whole scene that time. He was not standing around for nothing. "I am positive of how they both were hesitant toward each other."

Sanosuke's hand covered his mouth and his eyebrows twitched. "…No…way…" he grumbled quietly. "Do you think… Yuma and Kanon-chan…? Does she know about this herself? I… would imagine her telling us… or…" What in the world could have happened?

Hajime now sighed and lowered his eyes. "…If Shiranui had not mentioned it—"

"But what if he doesn't know either?" Sanosuke raised the question cautiously. "Oh wait… you said he kept an eye on her… oh, but maybe he never did either." He ran his hand in his hair and tried to make sense of the conversation.

"Whether any of them know or not," Hajime shifted himself to face away. He heard Saburo's laughter in the distance. "We should ask Shiranui and Kanon-san about it."

"Hold on," Sanosuke grabbed his shoulder, squinting his eyes. Hajime slightly stared at him silently. "What if Kanon-chan _does_ know? Since she and Yuma were… you know. And what if she didn't want us to know?"

"Do you suggest we wait until she is ready to tell us?" Hajime inquired.

Sanosuke was taken back and his hand returned to his side. "…I think we should," he nodded faintly. "…She might break down if we ask… And if we talk to Shiranui, he probably lied as well. He's the type to do that after all."

"Very well then," Hajime gave him his notice. "In the meantime, we should focus back to locate Haru."

The air felt uncomfortable. Sanosuke let out groan and tried to smile. "Yeah… let's do that." That was all they could do. If Kanon needed help, Sanosuke believed everyone would assist her no matter what. "But what if she _really_ doesn't know? She's still young and probably—"

"Sano," Hajime looked to him seriously.

With teleportation, Ryunosuke appeared before them and frowned. The two men stopped talking right away. "Geez, hurry up if you're both done taking a bath," Ryunosuke told them, but teleported them anyway. The three of them were now with the other group, who were eating apples. "We're going to eat everything without the two of you."

"Heh, thanks, Ryunosuke," Sanosuke patted on his head. At the back of his mind though, Sanosuke was still very concerned for Kanon. His eyes laid on her and she was giggling with Kosuzu about something.

Saburo waved to them, "Shiranui-san was just about to talk about how Haru looked like… Although, I'm sure Amagiri-san had a clearer image of her."

"Oh?" Hajime walked to them. Kosuzu went up to them and offered him a green apple. Hajime took it with a nod to regard her and she went to Ryunosuke. "How does Haru appear like?"

"Probably the same age as Kanon," Kyou shrugged. "Slightly older, maybe?"

Kyuuju nodded, "The length of her blond hair is as long as her shoulders… and her eyes are pink."

Kanon blinked, '…_Blond hair and pink eyes_?' Where had she seen someone like that before?

"Some woman at the same age as Kanon?" Souji raised an eyebrow. "…And she could use her mind control _that_ well?"

"Yeah, sounds fishy," Ryunosuke thought out loud, throwing an apple to Sanosuke. Even Ryunosuke could not use his power as well as how Haru constantly used her.

"Perhaps…" Sanosuke caught the apple whilst thinking hard. "Perhaps Haru was saved by Kanon-chan's clan long ago?"

Kosuzu touched her chin, blinking to Sanosuke. "That is highly possible," she agreed. Her eyes drifted to Kanon and she inquired, "What do you think, Kanon-chan?"

Kanon dropped her eaten apple, frozen in her spot. "Shit," Kanon looked like she just realized it. "I think… I met Haru before…"

"Eh?!" Saburo shockingly looked at her. Everyone all did the same, but for Kyuuju had a lighter expression. "Kanon-san, are you sure?!"

Souji stared to her and was just completely surprised.

"Uh… yeah," Kanon nodded, rubbing her head with her palm. "I believe so … except… I was still under the age of ten… maybe I was nine?" She could not recall it, but Kanon felt so sure about a girl from that day. And it creep her out. "But I remember those strange pink eyes… and her hair was as yellow as a straw hat. Her name wasn't Haru either… Or was it?"

Everyone was quiet. And stumped. Kanon had met Haru as a kid? How small was the world? Even though it was a given, because Kanon's clan only lived in one place, but… they would have never guessed _this_.

"Do you suppose her power grew over these years then?" Kyuuju inquired, his eyes on Kanon.

Saburo snapped his fingers, "That would make so much sense! Did anyone even realize how long she used her mind controlling powers over Ren and Yuma? …That means powers _do_ grow over time!"

"Then Haru's one of a hell of enemy," Sanosuke commented, narrowing his eyes to the ground. "If Kanon-chan said she was around ten years old… and Haru was about the same age as her… that would mean Haru had her power for at least five years."

Kanon frowned to herself, '_I don't remember if that little girl from back then even knew about her power… none of the villagers would have told her either_.' Would that mean Haru somehow learned about it herself? '_Wait, did any one even healed her_?' Kanon continued to ask herself. The past was such a blur.

Kyou's mouth dropped. He looked to Kyuuju and inquired, "You know Haru more, right? Have you noticed or heard anything strange about her? Like if she used her power over the Kazama Clan… or anything of the sort?"

Everyone gazed to Kyuuju and his eyelids flinched. "…No, I never heard such a thing," he told them. "However, it would appear she begun to use it when Kazama Chikage was found dead."

Hajime closed his eyes to that statement. "How did she learn of Kazama's death?" he queried.

Kyuuju answered normally, "I do not possess that information."

A sigh escaped Ryunosuke's lips. He was too confused about everything and tried very hard not to say anything. The same with Kosuzu, but she was more calmer than he was.

"Heh," Souji smirked, sneering. His arms folded up to his chest and he glanced around. "I say Haru can't use her power forever. She isn't a God. Her power is bound to stop working from overuse, am I wrong?"

Sanosuke nodded to him, "I think so too. And when that happens, it would be our chance." They would just have to find her before then.

Everyone had a moment of silence. They all appeared to be thinking really hard. Kosuzu's eyes moved to Kanon and she noticed something. "Kanon-chan?" Kosuzu called, almost moving her feet to walk to her.

Kanon winced and wrapped her stomach with her arms. "Sorry, I need to go to take a dump!" she embarrassingly ran off quickly. "No peeking and don't follow me! You too, Sanosuke! Don't use your power to check on me!" She did not want to hear their reactions and rushed away from them as fast as possible.

No one followed her and she ran a little further just in case. Her legs were shaking and her stomach hurt. Or was it something else? Kanon went around a big tree and placed her left palm on against the tree. Lowering her head, her other hand clenched her clothes around her belly. She bent her knees and closed her eyes with her nails clawing the bark of the tree. Sitting on her ankles, she begun panting and held her stomach with both arms once more.

The air felt cold. A dim black light glowed around her and moved like an ashy mist. She opened her eyes and felt a sweat coming down her face. '_What's wrong with me_?' she thought to herself, studying the black light. Her body was shaking from the pain and she tried to hold in her groan.

She shut her eyes again and concentrated. Beginning to trace her own power within her, she breathed quietly. But then something snapped in her head and she opened her eyes. The black light was gone and she covered her mouth when she felt ill. Struggling to soothe her whole body, she breathed back and forth slowly. Her muscles felt really tired and she barely wanted to move.

'…_Yuma's an Oni_,' she thought, forcing herself to stand up. '_Does me feeling _this_ sick have something to do with him_?' There had to be an explanation, for there was that strange black light. And when she looked into her own power a few seconds ago, something seemed to have blocked her out from it. Her right hand ran down her belly and her frightened eyes became watery. '…_Is it the baby_?'

Kanon stood very still and was unwilling to budge. Her power was all over the place as she tried to hold it back. She covered her mouth again when she felt more unwell as she carried another thought in her mind. It would seem her power was growing too fast. She could tell that Saburo, Souji, Hajime, Kyou, and Kyuuju were able to be away from her in a longer distance now. That was good she could grasp her power was growing.

But what if she was unable to stop it if it got out of hand?

Beginning to understand why this was happening, she bit her lower lip. '_I… need to get rid of the baby_,' Kanon reckoned. She felt no attachment to it. Therefore, the sooner she rid of it, the better.

She feared her power was going off the chart because of the new life inside of her. She had the cursed Oni blood … and she carried a child with Yuma, a true Oni. That truly was not a good match.

What she miscalculated though, Yuma came from the same Oni Clan who had cursed her family line in the first place.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	25. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 22**

"Yuma, what's wrong?" Ren's voice echoed through the underground tunnel. Ren approached the silverhead, who leaning back against the wall of the manmade tunnel. The ceiling almost touched their heads and the path was quite narrowed, only allowing about three men to walk through at the same time.

Ren carried a torch of fire and the light revealed Yuma in the darkness. There was concern in Yuma's eyes when he slowly looked to the black eye patched man. "…I'm asking myself why Haru made us come down here," Yuma replied quietly.

"For one," Ren blinked, shrugging a bit. "She said if we hid down here, that Harada guy wouldn't be able to sense us."

"I know," Yuma looked away, narrowing his eyes to the ground. "Still…"

Chuckling, Ren raised something wrapped in a large leaf. "One of Akio's men brought rice for us to eat," Ren stated. "I already ate mine along the way here."

Yuma's eyes gazed to him once again. But he refused, "No, thank you."

"Not in the mood to eat?" Ren smirked. Not being responsive, Yuma folded his arms to his chest. "You hadn't eaten in three days… you're not worried about that girl, are you?" Yuma's fingers twitched on his arm and Ren smiled. "So, I'm right? …Did you fall of her?"

"No," he responded softly.

"Does it have something to do with your bloodline then?"

Yuma nodded, "Correct."

Ren snickered, throwing the wrapped rice to Yuma, who bothered to catch it without looking. "Yuma, you have been _very_ absentminded," Ren had observed. "I'm sure you're thinking about her too."

With a grunt, Yuma looked to him expressionlessly. "Yes and no, however it's more about our bloodline," Yuma explained. He did not want Ren to get the wrong idea. "Don't forget, hatred runs in my blood. I do not have the will to stop it."

Enough with teasing, Ren inquired, "You're _not_ saying you're _worried_ about _that_ girl because you _had_ sexual intercourse, right?" Yuma grunted again, feeling uncomfortable. "So your family is cursed with hatred… What did you mean by that?"

Yuma gently toss the wrapped rice back to him and Ren caught it. "There's no point discussing it," he judged, closing his eyes.

"Then let me guess," Ren slightly twisted his wrist that continued to hold up the torch. "Haru had been filling us information she learned about Ayumu first. About how he had his father's power and that it may stop her if she let him live. Then she tells us your clan hated that girl's family. …As of now, I'm assuming Haru intended to make something happen between the two families. …Have you wondered how she knew about all of this?"

That was already a question Yuma found no answer to. "Yes, I have," Yuma lowered his eyes. "But…"

"And how is it that your family is cursed with hatred?"

Keeping his eyes lowered, Yuma thought for a moment. "That is something I am not certain of," he replied ruefully. "Ever since I could remember, my father would fill my mind about the past he wanted to pass onto me. …And that hatred… it's always there at the back of my mind."

Ren sighed sadly and shook his head. "Man, you guys have too much issues," he commented indifferently. There was a pause between them and Ren looked back in the direction he came from. And then his eyes went over to Yuma, who appeared to be concerned again. "…Answer me honestly this time," Ren seriously desired. He threw the wrapped rice and Yuma caught it yet again with his eyes glued to Ren's face. "Are you worried about that girl at all?"

"…Her name is Kanon," Yuma noted. And that caused Ren to laugh a bit and Yuma was confused. "Is something funny?"

"Ha, hell yeah," he smirked to the silverhead. "You actually remember her name! It caught me off guard, that's all." Yuma heaved a sigh, slightly peering to the other man. "And you avoided my question again. …You're really worried about her, aren't you? Is there a reason why?"

Yuma gave him and had to look away. "I…" he uttered quietly. "…I fear if she's bearing any child right now… because if she did… then…" Ren blinked, waiting for him to finish his sentence. "Then… she might lose her life when the child is born."

Puzzled, Ren was silent for a good few seconds. "But we don't know that," he gestured with his hand.

"The Kuromori Oni Clan are known for their strange childbearing," Yuma gritted his teeth. "If the woman is pregnant, the child inside of her takes her lifespan to grow faster than a normal rate. And when it is born… the mother dies."

"…You're kidding." Yuma glared to him and Ren backed off with a hand raised. "Okay, I believe you." There was silence _again_ and Yuma softened his glare and returned the wrapped rice back to Ren's raised hand, who caught it. "Yuma… if that's true… this is really serious then, assuming if she is bearing your child."

"I know," Yuma breathed those words out. He moved to stand up straight and turned to face Ren. "But what if she isn't…?" He was itching to go out there and find her. Perhaps find a way to save her. Although, would she accept his help at all? After what he had done to her? Then he thought back about her shielding him against that green-eyed man. '_Maybe she_…' Yuma rubbed his face with his hand.

"Feeling lovesick?"

"Ren, be quiet," Yuma glared to him yet again.

The purplehead chuckled as he played with wrapped rice by throwing it up back and forth. "Just trying to lightened up the mood," Ren smirked. Considering how Yuma used to be always so calm, Yuma now seemed irritated. He must be really anxious for that girl named Kanon. "Don't get mad if I say this, Yuma… I think I just convinced myself you really like her."

Yuma walked away and Ren blinked as he followed. "I won't love anyone," he murmured bitterly.

"Well, we're all men," Ren shrugged with a grin.

The Oni stopped walking and Ren stood by his side. "…Ren, she was talking in her sleep," Yuma sighed, his hand rubbing his face again.

"Eh?" Ren raised an eyebrow.

Yuma's chest ached and he tried to ignore it. "She was… calling another man's name that night…" he surmised.

"Ouch, that's not good," Ren backed away carefully.

Yuma's arm swung to hit him, but he only got the air since Ren already moved beforehand. "Stop talking like that," Yuma warned, his voice becoming hoarse. "No one… No one falls in love in _that_ kind of situation."

'_Clearly, he just admitted it_,' Ren looked away with a blank face. He knew he should not be joking about it given that Haru made Yuma did such a despicable act. Yet, Ren was merely happy for his friend, who could possibly be in love. '_Yeah, I got a mess up mind, but what if there's a happy ending waiting for all of us at the end_?' Ren visualized with hope.

As vexing as Ren was with his teasing, Yuma could not deny the fact his mind had filled with Kanon ever since that incident. He felt mostly guilt and petrified. And he denied any other feelings he had. Because there was no room for that kind of emotion.

Yuma suddenly recalled about a certain person. '_There still _that_ person who may possibly have an answer to my question_…' he told himself mentally.

"Here," Ren used the wrapped rice to nudge Yuma's shoulder. Even when Yuma's process of thoughts was disturbed, he did not respond. "Eat this. You need strength. What if Haru suddenly loses her power? We would have to be strong and take her out. Don't you think so?"

Yuma was quiet and his eyes moved as his head turned to Ren. He suddenly grasped he did not know a single thing about this human with the eye patch named Ren. And Ren was right about keeping his strength up, so he accepted it and faced him. "…Thank you, Ren," he faintly nodded as their eyes made contact.

Smiling, he patted on Yuma's shoulder three times. "You're very welcome," he said with pleasure. "I would have done the same for Hajime. …Speaking of which, I wonder how he's holding up. Flapping his wings of freedom, I bet."

Without warning, an explosion was heard and echoed in the cave. It came from where Ren had headed from and dust flew towards them. The two men covered their faces and the flame of the torch flickered, but remained lit. "What was that?" Yuma narrowed his eyes when he opened them.

Something snapped in their heads, leaving a pain behind for a few seconds. Ren touched his head and rubbed it roughly. "Ow…" he mumbled, closing one eye. "Wait a second…!"

Yuma felt in his head as well. '_Haru's released her mind control_,' his eyes glared over to where the explosion occurred. The dusts were still flying around and rumblings of earth were collapsing in the distant. And then Yuma dashed forward.

Without a word, Ren chased after him, still holding the torch that was their only guiding light. They ran through the faint smokes and through the dark, straight tunnel. Yuma stopped right in his tracks and the light of the fire revealed the path blocked with dirt. Sealed off from the world.

Ren also ceased his pace and slightly stood ahead of Yuma. "…Damn her," Ren clenched his other fist on his side. "What is she up to now? Freeing us of her control and trapping us here…"

Yuma stepped forward and begun digging out with his hands. "We have to get out of here," he said, expressing concern in his voice. Ren set the torch on the ground, walking to the silverhead's side and dug with his hands as well. "She released us out of her control and blocked our way back… whatever it may be, she begun setting her next plan in action."

"I wonder what it is," Ren frowned, his nails digging the dirt.

They both knew the answer already. Haru undoubtedly had her sights on the daughter of the Time Healer. What else could it be?

'…_Kanon_,' Yuma gritted his teeth, clawing his way out through the rocks and dirt. That certain night would never be forgotten. He committed a horrible crime. He felt indebted to Ayumu. Thus, he would do anything to protect her. If he had to do it from the shadows, then so be it.

The other fear was: what if she was pregnant? What could he do to save her? There had never been a method to save a woman becoming a mother. Yuma never met his mother. If Kanon were with a child, that little, young life would never get to see the mother as well. The repeating history needed to be stopped.

"Ren, step back."

The purplehead looked to him and stopped digging with his bare hands. He backed away as Yuma converted into his Oni form, horns growing and his hair extending. Even his rage was rising. "Yuma?" Ren felt uneasy. But he could trust him and continued to take a few more steps.

Yuma glared, his golden eyes glowing, "I cannot allow Haru to do as she pleases. I _won't_ let her."

[…^…]

Over on the plain field of tall grass, there was only Sanosuke and Souji with Kosuzu and Kanon. The other men had split up to keep their guard up. Sanosuke and Souji were facing in different directions whereas Kosuzu and Kanon were sitting on the ground. Over to Souji's left, there were three horses, which Ryunosuke had to teleport them when the horses were left behind because of Haru's previous attack. The event which Kyuuju was freed from her mind control.

Except, Kyou and Kyuuju mentioned they did not need horses. They were much faster than being on one anyway, they said. The other reason was to give less burdened work on Ryunosuke for they did not wish for him to teleport too much living beings at the same time.

And so, only Hajime and Saburo rode the horses out there somewhere at the moment. Although, Hajime was with Kyuuju while Saburo was with both Kyou and Ryunosuke.

"When did you guys learn how to fight?" Kanon inquired. She was sitting on her ankles while Kosuzu was combing Kanon's long brown hair with her fingers.

Only Sanosuke looked back, "Why do you ask?"

Kanon blinked and shrugged. "Since we're waiting, I thought it would be appropriate to chat," she considered with a nod to him.

A small smirk was on Souji's face when he turned around to look at her. "It's a long story," he told her.

She frowned, "So?"

Kosuzu giggled softly and smoothed Kanon's hair down, finishing with combing. "There we go," Kosuzu moved to sit beside her.

"Thanks," Kanon smiled to her, touching her hair with her left hand.

At the same time as Sanosuke looked outward to the horizon, Souji eyed Kanon's two swords, which were stolen from the bandits from before. "I'm more interested to hear about your story," Souji remarked, folding his arms to his chest. Kanon gazed to him with no expression and he added, "How did you and Ayumu learn to fight? You two only lived in a village."

"Hmm," Kanon moved her lips around, appearing to think hard when her eyes wandered off. "I… don't really remember, but a possible married couple came to our village by accident and I think the adults in the village let them stay temporally…"

Souji stared at her with confusion, wondering where she was going with it.

"And that big man of the couple was picking on Ayumu," Kanon begun to remember a bit more, tapping her chin with her finger. "I'm not even sure if it was a teacher-student bond, but that man started to teach Ayumu a few things. I got jealous and tried to learn a thing or two."

"Hehe," Kosuzu covered her mouth with her hand softly. Kanon glanced to her curiously. "That sounds like you, Kanon-chan. I hope you did not injure yourself from learning."

"Well!" Kanon pouted. "I couldn't _allow_ Ayumu best me! So I had to train too!" And then Kanon stood up, making two fists as she glared. "But Ayumu always kicked my ass! It was so annoying! I bet Seri-chan didn't teach me everything, even if he claimed to!"

Sanosuke glanced back, "Seri-chan?"

With a bigger pout, Kanon angrily nodded, "I call him that to annoy him! And he would always hit me because of it!"

Souji chuckled, "You really didn't change much, did you?"

"Humph!" Kanon turned away to look nowhere. "So what, Souji-_chan_!"

That sounded out of the place. "Don't call me that," he frowned.

"I'm going to turn you into a baby anyway!" she looked over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at him. His eyebrows twitched and he held himself back. "Don't worry, you'll like it when you grow up, Souji-_chan_!"

Sanosuke snorted and shook his head when he turned around to see their faces properly. And then Souji countered with his lips curled up, "Ka-chan."

"Oh my god, no!" she glared. In the background, Kosuzu giggled softly. "That's a horrible nickname, Souji!" Before he attempted to say it again, Kanon plugged her ears with her fingers. "Shut up, shut up!"

Souji sneered and gazed to Sanosuke. "She really hates it," he snickered.

Amused as he was, Sanosuke averted his eyes and used his power. His golden eyes glowed and he scanned the area in his head. Narrowing his eyes, he noted, "We have company twelve miles from here."

"What kind of company?" Kanon grabbed the handle of her sword on her left.

Quietly, Souji raised an eyebrow to Sanosuke. He was simply impressed how far Sanosuke had begun to see with his power. Was he getting good at using it or was it because his power was growing from being constantly used?

"It's those group of bandits again," Sanosuke gripped on his spear, closing his eyes. "I don't see Yuma or Ren though… But we should get away from here before very few bandits fire a bullet us."

Kosuzu blinked when Kanon took her left hand and they all headed toward the horses. "What about Ryunosuke and the others?' Kosuzu worried.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Kanon assured, tugging Kosuzu a bit. "And Ryunosuke gotten used to his power. We'll see him in no time."

"Oh, that reminds me," Souji walked along with Kanon's left. "You said your power got stronger… and we could be at least eight miles away from you? Don't you think that's a little too fast?"

Kanon sighed and gave him a serious look. "That's right, I'm a _God_ now, okay? Stop asking stupid questions!" She still refused to tell anyone about the baby.

He frowned and she rushed ahead and dragged Kosuzu behind her. '_I don't believe you one bit_,' Souji thought to himself. Either something was wrong or she really was just growing faster without any reason. But there was always a reason. And Souji simply felt troubled about the unknown.

Sanosuke continued with his power again and glared, "…Wait a sec." Everyone stopped walking, standing only a few meters from the horses, and Sanosuke's face was slowly raging with anger. "…They have Little Fukui with them."

"No!" Kosuzu gasped, her hand over her mouth.

Souji stepped toward Sanosuke, "Tsk… looks like Haru decided to play dirty by taking a child hostage."

"…What should we do?" Sanosuke rubbed his chin, a sweat running down his face. They should have asked Ryunosuke to take the Fukui family away someplace safe. They _should_ have done that. Sanosuke wanted to blame himself for not taking cautious measures.

"Well then!" Kanon put her hands on her hips when she spoke loudly. The three of them looked at her and she gave them a thumb up with a dry look. "We'll just have to face the bandits and somehow free Little Fukui."

Souji scoffed, "Please, Kanon. Your idea would only bring him danger." There was always Ryunosuke who could help, but Souji just wanted to shut Kanon down.

"Then I'll go out alone," Kanon lightly glared to him.

"No," Sanosuke shook his head. He was not going to repeat the same plan Yumeko suggested. "I'm sure Ryunosuke and the others will be here soon. We should plan this together with them first." Kanon sighed while Kosuzu patted on her shoulder with a giggle. Sanosuke's eyes glowed again and he tracked his friends quickly. "Hajime and Amagiri are heading back… They'll be here shortly," Sanosuke notified.

Kanon snorted, "If we don't start moving, the bandits will only come closer to where we are."

"Isn't it strange though?" Kosuzu stared at her, looking confused. "How do they know we're in this direction?"

The two men glanced to the girls and Kanon shrugged. "Maybe Haru knows someone who was also healed by my clan?" she guessed.

"…That sounds like it makes sense," Souji slowly glanced to Sanosuke. The taller man nodded seriously and Souji blinked to Kanon. "Do you have any idea just _how_ many people your clan saved back then?"

Shaking her head, she replied regretfully, "I don't know. I barely remember anything anyway. I was just a kid." Her eyes stared at the ground when she thought about Souji's question and her answer. '_Seriously, why is everything so messed up because of our cursed blood_?' she let out a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms to her chest annoyingly.

If only Kanon could go back in time and make her great-great-great grandmother change her mind and married that Oni she was betrothed to. …But then that would mean Ayumu and her would have never been born. Was it worth it? Kanon thought so. She felt her very existence was disturbing. She felt her situation and bloodline would never end if nothing were to be done.

"Let us assume it this way then…" Sanosuke fixed his stare to his friends. "Someone might have the same power as me and knows our position. He or she could be looking at us right now." Kanon nodded before shrugging. "Damn…" Sanosuke cursed. "I should have been the one to stick with Ryunosuke. With my power and his, we could have gotten together with everyone in no time."

"Oh, that would have been a nice idea," Kosuzu nodded uneasily. Why did no one think of that?

Souji chuckled, "What's done is done. And we ought to start get a move on. And I'm sure Ibuki will bring Shiranui and Saburo here very soon." One would hope.

"I still think I should confront them alone," Kanon suggested again, raising her hand high. Before they could utter a single word, Kanon wanted to explain, "Haru only hurts the ones around me. I'm sure she has a good reason or maybe she's just a sadist. But I have to meet her and see what she wants from me." Other than reviving Kazama Chikage.

"Kanon," Souji narrowed his eyes to her.

"Also," she pointed a finger up, wearing a simple look on her face. "Remember when Haru had her mind control over Kyou? …I was there that night too. Why didn't she come to me? Again, maybe she just wanted to make me sad by taking every single person away from me. Yet, I'm sure she can't use her power on me. Plus—"

"No," Souji directed his glare to her. Kanon squinted her eyes in response and Souji turned to look the other way. He obviously disapproved anything she wanted. She probably was not thinking either.

Sanosuke rubbed the back of his head, heaving out a sigh. "Kanon-chan, I can see where you're going with this, however…"

"But you can always regroup with Ryunosuke later!" she sighed loudly into the sky. Lifting her head back down, she angrily said, "And Ryunosuke can teleport Little Fukui too! There's nothing to fear, you stupid men!" Kanon pulled out her blade with her right hand and pointed it to them annoyingly. They stared at her, dumbfounded. "Should I use force to make things go my way?"

Souji's hand touched the handle of his katana, but then Sanosuke's arm reached out to gesture him not to do anything. "Kanon-chan," Sanosuke smiled, raising an eyebrow. "This is serious. Please listen to us."

As Souji grunted, removing his hand away from his weapon, Kanon snorted, "I'm serious too." Her blade was still pointing at them and no one moved. Kosuzu was worried though because Kanon was being stubborn about this. "I'm tired of having to wait around. If I lose someone again—"

"You won't lose anyone!" Souji retorted. She glared to him and was appeared to be even more impatient. "What's wrong with you? Stop talking like you know what you're doing!"

"Souji-chan, shut up or I'll definitely run off without any of you," Kanon raised her own voice, but more evenly and maturely.

Their argument was cut off as Kosuzu reached her hand out and grabbed Kanon's other wrist that was by her side. She smiled when Kanon strangely looked to her. "I'll make sure she doesn't run off," Kosuzu smiled to the men.

Whereas Kanon tried to shake Kosuzu off, Sanosuke nodded. "Thanks, Kosuzu," he smiled back.

"Kosuzu!" Kanon whined, trying to shake her off even more. But Kosuzu's grip was as strong as a rock and Kanon just remembered she had super strength. Not only that, Kanon had been feeling rather tired and really did not want to use too much force. So, it was frustrating for her. "Aw, man…!"

Souji grinned as Kanon sighed with defeat. '_Good_,' he thought to himself. This way, they did not have to make Kanon go out by herself. He would not have that either. Never. He would be too worried sick. Even Saburo would have agreed if he were here.

Oh. Souji suddenly remembered something very important and questioning. Chizuru. She was supposed to be with Hijikata, right? …Though, Amagiri Kyuuju never mentioned a word of her. Did something happen to Chizuru? Is she safe?

Not only that, there was still Nagakura Shinpachi, Toudou Heisuke and Sannan Keisuke. On the other hand, Souji did not want to raise the questions since Kyuuju was not present. Nor did Souji want Sanosuke to be disturbed since he was using his power once again. So… Souji kept his thoughts to himself.

Or maybe Sanosuke and Hajime had already asked themselves the same questions.

Too much things were happening too much at the same time. For now, they must focus with the matter at hand.

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Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

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**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 23**

Two young women were standing in the middle of the wildness, facing west and waiting patiently. They were the same people from the Blooming Flowers Brothel, one still dressed in yellow and the other in pink. Tall trees surrounded them and the sun bright in the sky over their heads.

Currently within sight, a black carriage showed up down the road, dragged by two black furred horses. Before it even came close, the woman in the pink kimono beamed to the one in yellow. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she inquired.

The one in yellow smiled faintly and her yellow eyes met the woman with the pink eyes. "Yes," she nodded. "I want to go back."

"Alright," the pink-eyed young woman nodded once. "…Then there is no going back after all of this."

"…We've already come this far," the young woman in the yellow kimono stated quietly. "Of course there's no going back… Right, Lady Haru?"

Haru's voice rung in their heads, '_Obviously_.' Her voice was strong and decisive. And no regrets. The two young women looked back to the black carriage, which drew nearer. Haru then visualized, '_No one is going to remember in the end. Perhaps only Kanon and I will remember_.'

The yellow-eyed girl lowered her gaze and felt a bit saddened with a silent thought. '_Sorry… Ayumu-kun_,' she closed her eyes to relax them, hearing the carriage closing in on them.

There was no lament. This was the egotistic path they all had chosen.

[…^…]

The sound of horses galloping was suddenly heard close by as if from nowhere. Souji looked to the left and saw Ryunosuke returning with Kyou and Saburo. They must have just teleported there, which would explain the sudden noises of the horses.

And the next strangest thing was, an enormous red light passed by, touching the ground and high above everybody, which colored the sky purple.

Kanon looked up first, confused, "What the hell?" Was it Haru's doing again? What kind of trick did she have up her sleeves this time?

"Hey, guys!" Ryunosuke called, waving his hand. "The bandits—"

"We know already," Souji quickly told him and pointed back to Sanosuke. He and the two girls were on the horses.

Ryunosuke blinked and made his horse slow down. Over with Saburo, Kyou was standing on the horse behind the seated Saburo. While Kyou was staring at the purple sky oddly, Ryunosuke fixed his gaze to Kosuzu and Kanon. The two girls shared a horse and Kanon was holding the reins.

"Is it just me, or is _that_ Haru's doing?" Kyou narrowed his eyes that were still staring at the sky.

"Of course it's her doing!" Kanon pouted. "And I think I should still confront her alone."

"Shut up, Kanon," Souji remarked annoyingly without looking at her. He could feel her glare after that. "Turning the sky and its color… what kind of power is _that_?"

Ryunosuke grunted with no answer to let out.

Sanosuke sighed, "Haru must have a lot of people helping her…"

"But that make no sense!" Saburo cried, complaining. "Who in the world would want to help someone like her?"

"Unless she's using her mind control over them?" Souji shrugged, his hand gripping on his own arm. He was struggling to calm his nerves down, but something just felt so wrong about… _everything_.

Sanosuke frowned and used his power, but then it did not activate. He turned his body around and tested his power again. '…_Why is my power not working_?' he shockingly asked himself. There was nothing happening when he tried once more. And still nothing.

In Kosuzu's view, she saw the figures belonging to Hajime and Kyuuju. Hajime was riding his horse from the area where more trees were. Kyuuju's figure leaped over a great amount of distance and he landed by Saburo's horse. "Good, everyone is back together," Kosuzu sighed with great relief.

"Sano," Souji glanced to him and noticed the confusion in his friend's eyes. "…Sano? You look pale."

"…I…" Sanosuke gulped, trying to shallow something. "…I can't seem to use my power."

Silence gloomed. However, Ryunosuke blurted out, "Hey, I can't teleport either!" He looked at his hands and glared. He wanted to teleport all of them away, but… something was gravely wrong.

Kanon furrowed her eyebrows cautiously and she fixed her gaze to Kyou. "Try using yours," she suggested, wondering if all of them somehow lost the usage of their power.

The Oni looked to the right to the free area. Raising his hand, he brought it down casually. And no results. "Uh…" Kyou blinked with no clue how to make of it.

Saburo panicked, "Kanon-san, what happened to our powers?!" He even tried to use it while they were not looking, but he too was not able to summon his blood to harden.

In the background, Hajime had already tried to control water in his body. Even he could not bring out his own power and he only kept his eyes opened for any ambush. As for Kosuzu, she had not bothered to try anything on Kanon, assuming her own power was not functioning too.

With Kyuuju glancing around for possible enemies, Kanon slightly turned the horse and Kosuzu held around her waist tighter. To the sky, Kanon glared, "Something… or someone… must be doing something to make our powers useless…" She then raised her palm to look at it. Her power felt dried as well.

This was not looking good.

"Alright, let's just make a break for it," Sanosuke told them, making his horse turn to face west. "We don't have time to figure this out."

"Yeah, good idea," Ryunosuke agreed with a firm nod. After all, there was still that group of bandits heading toward them.

Kanon watched the men turned around first and let out a soft sigh. Making her horse following their lead, they all begun to head west and the horses soon picked up their pace when they were ordered to. Kosuzu held onto Kanon securely as well. '…_Kosuzu can't hold me back now that her power is not working_,' Kanon thought to herself, still bent on confronting Haru.

The whole group rushed through the small woods for some time. No one was sure if the bandits was on their trail or not, but as soon as they all heard a bullet fired into the sky, they realized the bandits seemed to be a lot closer than they had anticipated.

"Damn," Souji cursed, slightly looking back. There was no one behind them, although they were running along down the hill. So his view on the horizon was blocked. Souji was between everyone else, with Ryunosuke and Sanosuke leading. Kyuuju and Hajime were the next pair while Saburo and Kyou were together. The two Onis ran as fast as the horses, which amazed the humans.

Behind Souji was Kanon with Kosuzu. '_Hm_?' Souji noticed Kanon quickly covering her mouth, looking a bit disgusted.

Kanon groaned and Kosuzu inquired, "Are you alright, Kanon-chan?"

A muscle pulled around Kanon's right leg and her hands grew weary right in that very moment. The reins she held fell out of her hands and Kanon felt her head was spinning in circles. And then Kosuzu saw a black misty light surrounding Kanon's body.

"Kanon!" Souji exclaimed rather angrily.

With eyes rolling back, Kanon begun to fall towards on the right side. Kosuzu gasped, grabbing onto her, but the two of them only fell off the horse together that still ran at a fast speed. Kosuzu wrapped her arms around Kanon in hopes to shield her from the fall. The two of them landed with a loud thud and rolled a couple of times as their horse slowed down by itself.

All of the men looked back and Souji was the first to abruptly stop his horse. "Kosuzu!" Ryunosuke cried.

Souji rushed off of his horse and dashed for the girls. Kosuzu moved to sit up and realized Kanon was unconscious. And that black light that moved like smoke… it kept on glowing around Kanon.

"Kanon-chan?" Kosuzu put her head on her lap.

Saburo was now calling out, "Kanon-san!"

The moment Souji slammed his knees on the ground next to the two women; he took Kanon in his arms to shake her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked loudly. But Kanon did not respond and her eyes remained shut. "Kanon! Can you hear me?!"

"What the hell is with that black light surrounding her?" Kyou's voice asked.

The group moved together and Ryunosuke jumped off of his horse as soon as the pace was slowed. "Kosuzu!" he cried, seeing dirt on her face.

She looked up and Ryunosuke lowered down to wipe her face to clean it. "I am fine," she winced, feeling the pain in her right arm and her back. Ryunosuke aid her to her feet and she looked away. "But Kanon-chan…"

Sanosuke remained on his horse and called out to them, "Ryunosuke, take Kosuzu with you. Souji, you take Kanon-chan. We have to get out of here."

A gunshot opened fired. A bullet had just pierced through Saburo's chest, who had fallen off the horse because of the impact. "Saburo!" Hajime shouted while Sanosuke got off of his horse right away.

All of the horses were almost alarmed by the loud sound that seemed to have gotten even closer. Kyou glared and charged forward to where the bullet had shot. Kyuuju followed him right away, and before anyone else yelled at them, the Onis disappeared as they leaped into the air.

The previous gunshot caused Kanon to open her eyes as if the bullet had hit her instead and the black light vanished within that instant. Souji was relieved, "Kanon…"

She took a moment and felt his arms tightening around her. Her face turned red and she immediately pushed him away. "W-Wha…?!" she glared to him. Keeping his hands to himself, Souji frowned and Kanon looked around to take note of her surroundings. What just happened? But as she found Saburo being helped by Sanosuke to stand, she saw his bleeding chest. "Saburo!" she hurried up on her feet.

Yet she wobbled and Souji got up to help her stand. "Kanon, why did you suddenly—" Souji wanted to say something, but she pushed him away once again. '_What is _wrong_ with her_?' he thought, annoyed with her shoving him.

Kosuzu had moved help Kanon stand instead. Saburo smiled weakly, "I'm fine, Kanon-san." His hand was over the wound on his chest.

"You're bleeding!" she shouted, worried about his opened wound. Quickly taking more notes around her, she turned around and moved away from Kosuzu. She managed on her own two feet and asked, "Where's Kyou and Kyuuju?"

Sanosuke put Saburo's arm around his shoulder and replied, "They ran off… probably to give us some time to run."

Kanon's eyes glared to him, "What?! How could they?!" She was concerned and was about to walk off, but Souji grabbed her hand and pulled her back. When she turned her head, she continued to glare, "Let go, Souji!"

This was not the time for arguments. "They're Onis," Souji reminded. "I'm sure they can escape more easily without us."

"Still!" she tried to shake him off. Another gunshot was fired and everyone lowered their bodies and the horses were freaking out. Kanon hurried to think fast, but she felt sick again and covered her mouth. Acid formed near to her mouth and her eyes became teary from feeling ill. '_Damn this baby_,' she cursed, closing her eyes.

"Souji," Hajime's voice grabbed attention. The green-eyed man looked over his shoulder. "Hurry and take Kanon-san. She's too weak to ride a horse."

Ryunosuke took Kosuzu's hand and they both headed to the horse close by.

"No," Kanon grumbled, still covering her mouth.

"And I'll take Saburo," Sanosuke nodded to Hajime.

Saburo stopped Sanosuke before he wanted to tend to his wound. "No, it's fine," Saburo told him, closing one of his eyes from wincing in pain. "I… can always reproduce more blood when my power comes back."

"But we won't know when we can use our powers again," Sanosuke told him, worried. "And I don't want you to faint along the way. Do you understand how much of a burden you'll be if you knock out?"

Saburo chuckled nervously as his only respond.

The sky remained in the same purple hue as before and the silence seemed to have fallen for a mere second. Kyou landed right beside Saburo and said, "Kanon, the one leading the bandits requested to meet with you."

"What?" Souji queried with a light glare. Sounded like a trap.

Kyou nodded, folding his arms to his chest. "And he said he won't let anyone open fire," he notified, his eyes scanning around. When he saw Saburo, his eyes widened. "Oh wow, so one of the bullet _actually_ got someone."

A sigh came from Saburo's pouting lips and Kyou ignored him causally.

Ryunosuke frowned at the Oni and looked around. His eyes now caught sight of people in the distant, but most of the trees remained in the way. "It has to be a trap if they want to see Kanon-san," Ryunosuke believed, looking to the others.

"I'll go," Kanon gave her firm answer.

With Souji glaring with disapproval, Sanosuke was the first to say, "Kanon-chan, you can't."

She messed her hair from frustration. "Okay, listen to me," she pleaded, bowing her head. "Please… _please_ let me do this. Haru will follow us wherever we go… so this is why I want to meet her, if I can." She lifted her eyes up and still found most of their expression disagreeing with her.

"Kanon-chan," Kosuzu whispered, holding her own hands tightly.

"Everyone," Kanon begun to use her brain again. "Let me do this, okay? Once Ryunosuke's power starts working, Sanosuke can always find me again, right?"

"But the enemies were hiding somewhere before and I could not even sense them," Sanosuke countered, narrowing his eyebrows. "If that does happen, how do you suppose I can track you?"

"I'll be sure not to be locked away somewhere?" Kanon shrugged, shaking her head. Her legs felt tired from standing and she slightly felt ill once again. "And I'll have Kyuuju and Kyou with me. I'll be fine."

Souji grunted, "If you're _that_ eager, then I'm sticking with you." She snapped her head to him and wanted to object. "Since Saburo is injured, he should find a doctor if his power doesn't return anytime soon." Now he looked back to Sanosuke, "I'll leave Hajime and you to do that, Sano."

"I don't want to be separated from Kanon-san," Saburo stated under his weak breath. "And we shouldn't be too far from her, remember?"

With a small smirk, Souji gestured with his hand to Kanon, "She's _God_ now. I'm sure we can be even _more_ further away from her." Souji eyed to Kanon as if he saw through her. And she only stared back at him quietly. "Isn't that right, Kanon? Your power _is_ growing, right?"

There was a pause and she nodded, "Yes…" Smiling to assure Saburo, she told him, "Don't worry, Saburo. I'll be fine."

"But Kanon-san," he stepped forward, but was held back by Sanosuke who was still helping him stand. She made it sound like she was okay with Souji staying with her. Saburo wanted to be by her side too.

Kosuzu then spoke, "Kanon-chan, you can't possibly believe Haru will not harm you, do you?"

"I _do_ believe so," Kanon nodded, staring at the ground. Everyone stared at her and she looked sure about something. '_If Haru and I met back in the village_…' Kanon deeply thought to herself. '_Then I am definitely sure she will not harm me any more than she already has_…'

Haru had already done enough damage. What more could be taken away from Kanon aside from her friends she made?

And Kanon had not forgotten… Haru started to make her move after she heard of her brother-in-law's death. No matter how much Kanon thought about it, she felt there must be a reason for Haru to push herself to commit such sins. All of the pain Haru was causing seemed to be much more than to revive Kazama Chikage.

Because if Haru just _asked_ nicely, Kanon would have done her best to help out no matter what. And if Haru was the same child from before, she should have known Kanon would lend a hand since they 'know' each other. Even though Kanon could not recall much about Haru.

"If anything happens," Sanosuke murmured. His voice was heard given that everyone all turned their gaze to him. Sanosuke tried to smile and said, "If anything happens, and if it's gets out of hand… let's meet in Edo."

Hajime was surprised, "Sano, are you saying we should split up?"

"I will just have to trust Kanon-chan," Sanosuke quietly judged, his eyes staring to Kanon. Her lips curled up into a small smile. "But… are you really sure?" He wanted to have faith in this young woman who was born under such a fate.

She smiled wider, happy to hear his approval as if he was her father who granted permission. "Totally!" she gave him a thumbs up.

"I still want to stay by Kanon-san's side," Saburo cringed, pressing his wound harder.

"Too bad," Souji smirked to him.

Saburo pouted and was not about to give up. "Harada-san, please let me go," Saburo requested as he begun to struggle. Sanosuke made sure Saburo was not getting out of his grip though.

Kanon frowned, "Saburo, it's fine! My power is still growing. I highly doubt I would get hurt."

"But I'm worried!" he shouted to the ground, making Kanon jump from the tone of his voice. "I want to be with you! We never left each other's side for more than a year now!"

"Oh, sounds like someone's clingy," Souji joked.

Kanon slapped Souji's shoulder and he just chuckled. Saburo whined and Kyou let out a loud sigh. Ryunosuke and Kosuzu had already gone to sit on a horse together and waited for further decisions.

"Okay, Saburo can stay," Kanon walked to them as Saburo looked up with a bright smile.

Souji squinted his eyes, "He will only lag us behind, Kanon."

"Then Kyou can help carry him," she said, which caused Kyou to make a face. Sanosuke seemed to hesitate whereas Kanon took Saburo. "Can you stand, Saburo?" she asked.

He pulled himself away and clearly was strong enough to stand by himself since he was now going to be stay by her. "Yeah," he smiled. And then he flashed a victorious smirk to Souji, who returned a smug look. To the side, Kanon sighed annoyingly at their ongoing rivalry.

"Alright, hurry up," Kyou finally said. It seemed they all decided, so now they had to hurry. "That man, Aki-something, might attack if we don't go now."

'_Aki_?' Saburo blinked, his eyes shifting to the Oni. For some reason, Saburo had the strangest feeling about that particular name. '…_Akio? …No way_.'

Hajime watched Sanosuke moving to get up on his horse, Kanon desiring to heal Saburo, Ryunosuke and Kosuzu slowly started their way toward west, Kyou facing the other way, and Souji approaching to Saburo.

'_I want to stay here_,' Hajime mentally said at the back of his mind. He did not want to leave with Sanosuke, Ryunosuke, and Kosuzu. However, everyone was already deciding for themselves and there was no more room to voice his opinion. So he kept it to himself. He did not wish to put any burden on them.

The sky continued to be purple. Kosuzu was observing it for a while since she sat behind Ryunosuke on the horse. Her arms were around his waist and he nudged her. "Hm?" she looked to him.

His eyes were over his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"…The sky bothers me," she replied seriously. "If I'm not mistaken, our powers stopped working the moment that red light flashed by and colored the sky in that hue."

"Then," Kyou smirked over to them. "Perhaps it's some kind of 'barrier' to stop us from using the powers of the Time Healer?"

Sanosuke smiled, "That sounds right. Well then, if the sky returns to normal, hopefully soon, Ryunosuke will teleport us right away."

"Sounds like a plan," Souji let out a carefree smile. And he would be expecting that to happen because he actually feared something bad would happen if their powers were not returned to them.

[…^…]

In the large hill of trees, Kyuuju was standing with his arms folded to his chest. His eyes stared the small army in front of him. To the far right, bandits were lined up all the way to the far left. The only bandits who had riffles were the ones at the front. And at the same front line, there were about ten more men behind each person. In the center of the bandits stood a wooden carriage, which was sealed up with doors and only an insignificant bandit was sitting there with the reins in his hands.

The most person who stood out to Kyuuju was Akio, who was on a horse and slightly ahead of everyone else. Kyuuju and Akio never meant each other before and they stared at each other quietly. The wind soughed between them, but very soon they heard horses galloping behind Kyuuju.

Kyou fell from the sky and landed steadily by Kyuuju. "Alright, Kanon's here," Kyou informed the man in the black armor.

Slowly, Akio's eyes went to observed the people Kyou had brought along. There were three of them. Two males and one female. Akio's eyes slightly twitched and he raised his hand with a finger pointed up. The bandits behind him lowered their riffles and when Akio moved to get off his horses, every single bandit had done the same on his signal.

'_What are they doing_?' Kyuuju remained on alert. He sensed no murder intent either.

Souji was riding by himself and his eyes were on Kanon and Saburo. She held the reins while Saburo was sitting behind her, arms around her waist. Souji was keeping an eye on them since Kanon seemed to have fainted before back there. And then he noticed Saburo's face getting pale. Was he losing too much blood so soon?

Kyuuju glanced back and all of the two horses stopped at the same time. "Kanon-san," Kyuuju softly sighed. He rather wanted her escape than to meet with the bandits.

"Whoa, hey," Kyou uttered and nudged Kyuuju, who turned to look back at the bandits.

Akio had gotten on his knees and his hands on his knees. Bowing his head, he voiced loudly, "Saburo-sama."

"Eh?!" Kanon's eyes widened. Every bandit was in the same position as the man in the black armor.

Saburo smiled nervously, unable to hide his face now. '_Dang it_,' he thought, his hand pressing onto his wound harder.

"So you're alive," Akio expressed with relief, still keeping his voice loud and firm. His head was still lowered. "Thank the heavens I have met you once again, Saburo-sama…"

"Saburo," Souji looked to him, raising an eyebrow. Saburo gulped and his mouth was kept shut. "…Do you _know_ them?"

"I… uh…" Saburo faked a cough.

Kyou smirked and turned his upper body to the humans behind him. "Well, since the cat's out of the bag," Kyou stated with a snicker. He gladly explained, "Saburo here is actually the Emperor Koumei's cousin."

Akio lifted up his eyes and warned, "Do _not_ address Saburo-sama so lightly."

Slightly recalling, Kyuuju blinked calmly, "I remember now… You, Kazama, and I have seen Saburo-san once at the palace, haven't we, Shiranui?"

"That's right," Kyou grinned, nodding to the taller Oni.

"…What?" Souji continued to stare at Saburo's pale face.

The wind seemed to whistle. Kanon gaped at the bandits for a while and she was not sure how long she was staring at them. '_Saburo… is a royalty_?' she asked herself, completely shocked.

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Thanks for reading!


	27. Omake 3

_Omake 3!_

**Author's note**: This random omake is set in the modern day. It has nothing to do with the current story. Or with anything.

Enjoy!

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With a 'love' letter in hand, Kanon searched for Souji after school. She rather not leave the letter in his shoe locker because she figured she was brave enough to somehow give it to him face-to-face. That was what she hoped anyway.

Kanon peeked into the emptied classroom and easily found Souji. He was sleeping with his head and arms on a desk. Her heart paced as she stepped in with the white envelope behind her. '_This is my chance_,' she thought to herself. All she had to do now was put it on his desk. '_And when he wakes up and sees my letter_…' she beamed happily, half dreamily.

She only needed to walk pass three more emptied desks. And then there was somebody running in the hall that disturbed her silent thoughts. Kanon turned to the voices. "Hey, GET BACK HERE!" a girl shouted. She sounded upset.

"I said I _was_ sorry!" Heisuke shouted. Their two bodies ran pass the opened door of the classroom within a flash and their footsteps echoing in the hall.

'_What was that about_?' Kanon flattened her face. Remembering about the letter behind her, she turned her head and was about to pull it out. Her face went blank as Souji looked up at her with a smile. "…Crap," she wanted to frown.

"What are you doing here, Kanon?" Souji smirked, getting up. He flattened his hair in case it was messed up from his nap. When he noticed her stepping back with her arms behind her, he walked towards her. "Is there something you want?"

She smiled nervously, trying to think fast. '_Either give the letter to him and run… or just run off with the letter_,' she conversed with herself.

Souji walked much closer after his second step and reached his right hand out, aiming for what was behind her. Kanon bit her lower lip, dodging him easily to his left. And then she pulled out the envelope, with a piece of chocolate wrapped in red taped on it, to his face. He blinked at the white envelope as they both stood still. They both did not exchange words. His gaze was on the envelope and her eyes on his wondering expression.

Finally, his hand extended and he took it.

Forcing herself to be calm, Kanon turned around and hurried away. "Hm? I wonder what this is," Souji followed her with a chuckle.

Hearing him opening it behind her as they made their way out of the emptied classroom, she kept a poker face on. "You were sleeping here?" she sighed. "Hijikata-sensei was asking for you, you know. Everyone else is working hard for the Cultural Festival too, you lazy ass."

Unfolding the small letter, he read the words written in black, _Souji, I like you… So you wanna go out with me? I'll make more chocolate for you if you do_. He smirked and took the piece of chocolate taped on the envelope, unwrapping the wrapper. Walking beside her now, he tossed the chocolate in his mouth with the same smirk. He was happy, but was not certain how to express it just yet.

She looked at him as he avoided her eyes. Kanon was a bit puzzled, but forced herself to understand what could be in his mind. If he was not interested, then she would have to let him go. That was the mindset she prepared beforehand.

Noticing his smirk getting wider, she had to smile. "Is the chocolate _that_ good?" she asked. He said nothing and she added, "…I made it myself."

Souji looked at her as they walked down the hall. "…You'll get better if you keep making them for me, right?" he teased. He said that because she said if he went out with her, she would make more for him.

Pouting a little, she ignored the guy. "Let's hurry," she said, walking ahead. "We're already late."

He grinned happily and reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Hijikata-_san_ can wait longer than that," he said, slightly pulling on her hand. She slightly blushed, trying to shake him off. He gripped on it securely and looked at her in the eye. "So, do you really want to go out with me?"

"No, not at a time like this," she flatly told him. "Hijikata-sensei is waiting." She simply was not in the mood anymore, given that she hated him teasing.

Souji laughed a little and locked his fingers between hers, holding it gently. Her hand remained still, but she gradually tightened her grip and her eyes averted rather coolly. "Yeah, I'll go out with you, Kanon," he finally answered her.

He saw her smile when she shifted her head away from his gaze. "Don't regret it," she warned first.

Of course he would not. To prove his answer, he tugged her harder and her upper body was force to turn. Just before he intended a kiss, she covered her mouth with her other hand and he frowned as their faces were in front of each other. "…Kanon," he whispered disapprovingly.

"Too soon," she mumbled behind her hand, her eyes smiling. He groaned almost annoyingly, seeing as she still had not changed even as they just declared themselves being a couple. They both backed away while still holding hands and she snickered. "Regretting already?"

"Nope," he smirked to her. "I'll take my time. And make you _beg_ me to kiss you."

"HA!" she laughed it out, her nose in the air. "Good luck with that."

He merely chuckled and they continued their way. Quietly this time. She hummed an unfamiliar tune and he glanced to her for a moment.

Even as a couple, he felt nothing was different one bit. …Aside from holding hands, so he was sure to cherish the moment as if it was their first step.

* * *

**Author's note**: This was how I imagined if I wrote a fanfic in a modern day setting. Nothing exciting, haha!

Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: I hope my laziness isn't showing too much in the last few chapters... as well as this one (and the future chapters). But I do my best to write how I see fit. Enjoy reading! :D

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 24**

More than a year ago...

In total darkness, a horse was sauntering. No moonlight guided the people on the same lone horse. Yumeko was struggling to hold the reins, but her eyes were barely opened. Behind her was Saburo, who mumbled weakly and sounded like he would pass out just about anytime.

"S…Saburo-sama?" the eyes of the short, black haired girl glanced back to him. His forehead was on her right shoulder and he did not respond. He probably was unable to.

An arrow was stuck through both of their bodies around their stomach area. She had refused to pull the arrow out of them for she was unable to do that by herself. And she had to escape far from home… she had to. They had to run away. That assassin might still be on their trail.

Yumeko called again, but weaker, "Saburo…sama…"

The horse stopped as the two bodies fell on the left sight. Neighing, the horse stepped back when it felt the presences of strangers. Saburo was now unconscious and no longer breathed. His back faced to Yumeko. She remained to lie still on her left side, staring at her hand in the dark. Tears filled up in her eyes. '_No, I can't cry_…' she told herself, trying hard to keep her eyes opened.

Saburo's life. She must save him. Even if she must use the last of her breathe.

Her voice begun to call out, "Save him… someone… anyone… save him… please…"

The sounds of footsteps were detected as if they had heeded her prayer. And now, Yumeko continued to plead and her voice becoming more louder each time.

"…Ayumu… let's heal them," a young girl quietly said with sympathy.

"Tsk," a male was heard.

Yumeko's eyes slowly looked up to the two people. A girl with long brown hair kneeled down to her and touched Yumeko's hand. However, Yumeko tried to leave out of the girl's grip. "Save… him…" Yumeko implored one more time. '_Forget about me… just save Saburo-sama_…'

The girl held her hand harder, but as softly as possible. "Ayumu," the girl raised her voice, turning her head in the dark to look over to the tall guy.

In that moment, everything grew dark. Yumeko must have closed her eyes. And silenced gloom around her. In front of her, she saw an endless path of blackness. She thought she was going to walk in the darkness as she always had, but then… a light sparked out of nowhere.

Yumeko slowly opened her eyes and stared into a pair of red eyes, belonging to a guy. His forehead was lay over hers, making her realize she was lying on her back. Was the arrow pulled out?

The light disappeared and the guy moved away to sit with a distance. Yumeko was completely surprised as she moved to sit up. The pain she felt seconds ago were vanished as if nothing had ever happened. Was it a miracle? How? Did it have something to do with that person with cold red eyes?

Yumeko's gaze averted to where Saburo was, which the brown-haired girl was laying her forehead over his. And there was that same light. Enchanting… pure and white light.

"What's your name?"

Blinking with confusion, Yumeko looked to the guy and the light revealed his long brown hair that was not tied. The light revealed the expressionless look on his face. She pretended she did not see his attitude and answered, "Yumeko…"

"Yumeko?" he did not blink and studied her for a moment. Her eyes became emotionless and he was unable to read her very well.

She then assumed, "And you're Ayumu."

His eyebrow twitched and he tried not to speak at all. Something about _this_ encounter did not sit well with him. Simply because he sensed he would not enjoy being stuck with her for life.

…And both of their names had the word 'dream' in them.

[…^…]

"Okay, stop looking at me like that!" Saburo blushed as Souji continued staring. Kanon was in front of Saburo on the same horse so he was not sure how her expression was like. "I'm not a part of any royalty anymore!"

"Saburo-sama," Akio's voice directed with harshness, making Saburo flinch. The man in black armor stood up from kneeling and glared. The bandits behind him got up from their feet as well. "Return to us. We must drive back the foreigners."

Grunting, Saburo's hand pressed harder on his wound. Fixing his eyes to meet Akio's, Saburo inquired, "If that's what you want, why are you with Haru?" He had known Akio to be slightly ruthless, yet the middle-aged man was not blind when the victims were suffering.

"She and I are merely ridding _enemies_ from our land," Akio stated rather honestly. His deep orange eyes were icy when he mentioned the word 'enemies.'

That made no sense. Souji lightly glared, moving his horse to take a couple of steps forward. "Obviously you were tricked," Souji assumed with mockery. Akio softened his gaze and listened to what the green-eyed man had to say. "Haru's an Oni. She only wants Kanon, who has nothing to do with _any_ foreigners."

Kyuuju and Kyou remained on guard, both of their eyes on Akio and the rest of the bandits. No one moved.

"Yeah, Akio-san," Saburo said, wincing in pain.

"Saburo-sama, you're hurt?" Akio's eyes widened. He had just realized the blood between Saburo's hand and chest.

"Look, you have to listen," Saburo grumbled. He begun to move off the horse and before Kanon could say anything, Saburo patted on her arm and walked forward. "Akio-san, Haru probably doesn't care about you wanting to expel the foreigners… And aren't things peaceful with the way they are now?"

Souji noticed Saburo stumbling, but he held up on his own by standing up straight.

Quietly, Akio let out a sigh and his eyes observed the others. "…Saburo-sama," he now stared to the boy with the jet-black hair. Changing the subject when he taken notice of something that was amiss, he inquired, "…Where is my niece? Why is she not with you? You two escaped from that incident, did you not?"

Kanon had a feeling Akio was talking about Yumeko. '_His niece_?' she questioned, her heart tightening. Thinking about Yumeko and Ayumu made Kanon depressed. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to confront Haru.

Saburo grunted and lowered his head. "Yumeko… she's dead," he replied.

"Humph," Akio closed his eyes, feeling no remorse. "I see."

"That's all?" Kyou was now glaring. Akio opened his eyes slowly and said nothing. "Yumeko's death was caused by Haru. And you're saying you're working _with_ Haru? Or are you under her mind control too, _old_ man?"

With an eyebrow raised, Akio asked, "What mind control?"

Gritting his teeth, Kyou conveyed almost heatedly, "We're telling you Haru isn't who you think she is, you ignorant human!"

One reason why Kyou started to feel worked up. If Yumeko was Akio's niece, why did the man seem so indifferent about her death? Were they not close? But they were family, right? Because if Yumeko were Kyou's sister, Kyou would not forgive anyone who made her lose her will to live. Yes, Kyou had long accepted Yumeko's fantasy to be a family with a group of humans.

And one thing he detested: Yumeko did not say goodbye to any of them before departing from the world with Ayumu.

"I am beginning to see why Ren was feeling 'sorry' for all of you," Akio remarked with a small smile. Everyone stood completely still in respond. When Akio met Saburo's eyes, he said rather proudly, "It would seemed Saburo-sama have grown as well."

"Akio-san?" Saburo blinked, smiling himself.

"I do not think I am under a 'mind' control," Akio told them confidently, shrugging at the same time. "If Saburo-sama is on this side of the line, then I shall believe the words you all spoke." And he trusted Saburo more than anyone. They had known each other since Saburo was a toddler. Shortly, Akio raised his hand, "Men, free the brat."

"Yes, Yamamoto-sama," a man nodded to Akio's signal. He was the one on the carriage and he moved to open the door of the carriage.

'_Brat_?' Souji smirked at the word. He must mean Little Fukui. '_But… does this man _really_ believe us? So soon_?' Just in case, Souji held onto his suspicion.

Kanon smiled with relief when she saw Little Fukui being taken into the man's arms. The boy even looked sacred. She hurried off the horse, seeing as the man untying ropes around Little Fukui and the cloth in his mouth was removed.

"Saburo, everyone!" Little Fukui cried with tears in his eyes. The little boy ran off away from the bandits and his arms were opened, seeking for a comforting hug.

Saburo chuckled with a wave, "Hey, Little Fukui!"

Whilst Little Fukui still ran on his little feet, Kyuuju caught sight of a single bandit aiming his riffle. Kyuuju moved forward just the second the bullet was fired stridently.

Akio snapped his eyes back and saw blood spattered into the air behind Little Fukui's back. "HEY!" Akio roared, turning around to his very own men.

Horrified, Kanon, Souji, and Saburo all stared. The one who was most terrified was Kanon. Tears whelmed up in her eyes as Little Fukui fell forward and his eyes soulless, but Kyuuju had just picked the boy up and dashed backwards as few bandits begun killing each other off with their blades.

"What the hell?" Kyou drew his gun out, pointing it out. Though, he was unsure who to shoot. Half of the bandits just suddenly attacking each other were extremely odd.

"What are you doing?!" one of the bandits demanded to the other.

Smirks filled the attackers' faces. Horses cried loudly, stuck among the brawl. While the commotion went on, Akio hurried to his men to make them get a grip.

Kyuuju went back to the others and Kanon was the first to approach him. "Little Fukui?!" she cried, touching his cheeks with her hands. But the boy did not answer. His body was completely lifeless in the arms of the tall Oni. And then a tear fell from Kanon's left eye.

Kyuuju grunted at the misfortunate of event. Behind Kanon, Souji had gotten off of his horse and Kyou gave Saburo a hand, who now struggled to stand. Then Kyuuju looked to Kanon and she was dreadfully saddened. And in that moment when he brought his eyes on her, he saw her left eye turning from blue to golden. "Kanon-san?" Kyuuju called to get her attention.

But her eyes were too distant and she did not seemed to have heard him.

Hurrying forward, Souji stopped himself when he saw a cut made in the purple sky, which revealed the blue sky beyond it. His eyes widened as Yuma, in his Oni form, fell from the sky with his sword in hand. Souji drew out his katana and was ready to protect his friends.

Before anyone else moved, the purple sky faded away. However, it became a red light and it rained like scattered tears on one side of the field and it barely touched anyone. Kyou felt a drop on his face and touched it. There was nothing wet though.

Akio shouted at his men, but a couple had stuck out with their katana toward him. He swiftly took his own katana to shield against them. "Men, stand down!" he glared, pushing the men back with his blade with both hands.

Meanwhile, Yuma had turned to the others. Souji, Saburo, and Kyou had their guard up and Yuma stood where he was. His eyes temporally gazed to Kanon's back, who held Little Fukui's hand into her own.

As a true Oni, Yuma was faster than Ren, so he left the human behind and sought to be here first.

"Oh, wait," Kyou raised his hand to Souji slightly behind him. "Something's different about Yuma today." Not only that, did Yuma just somehow immobilize that strange light in the sky?

Yuma offered no words and saw the last of the red rain dropping on Kanon, Little Fukui, and Kyuuji. Afterward, Yuma walked away from the group and he uttered, "Akio, some of your men are under Haru's mind control."

The man in the black armor glanced back, "What was that?!"

Saburo grunted and stepped onward. Unconsciously using his power, his wound covered up the bullet hold in his chest. "Eh?" he blinked and got out of Kyou's aid. Standing himself, he smiled, "Hey, my power is back! So it really _was_ the sky!"

"Good," Kyou smirked, his eyes turned to look at the bandits. "It's about time we…" when he raised his hand and brought it down, nothing happened. Instantly, Kyou glared to Saburo, "Hey, mine's not working."

"Hm?" Saburo blinked. The sound of the bullet rung and Saburo ignored Kyou. "Never mind you, I have to help Akio-san!"

"Saburo!" Souji frowned. But forget him, Souji went to Kyuuju and Kanon. He checked the little boy's dead face and his heart sunk at the mere sight. '_Little Fukui_…' Life and death was natural… but why did a child have to be involved with their mess? Even if Kanon could revive the boy later…

"Damn this _shit_," Kyou just ran forward, hoping to actually do some helping of his own. He fired out his gun, shooting one of the offenders down.

Akio snapped his head to him, "Don't harm my men!"

"Then do something about them _faster_!" Kyou sneered, aiming yet again.

"Kanon," Souji voiced her name. Her head was lowered, but he could tell she was very shocked. "Get a hold of yourself, you can revive him later, can't you?" He shook her shoulder with a soft glare.

"Everyone!" Sanosuke's voice shouted out.

Looking back, Souji's eyes caught sight of Sanosuke, Hajime, Kosuzu, and Ryounosuke from afar. It was in the same direction where they had taken off. '_Why are you guys doing back here_?' Souji grunted.

Perhaps he should have guessed. Sanosuke must have lied about splitting up into groups. Nonetheless, this was good. They could all stick together and make a break for it. Although, Kyou and Saburo had went off to help Akio, even Yuma. How could every one of them escape? Maybe they would just have to fight their way through.

Kyuuju still carried the child in his arms, but his eyes glued to the human girl.

Within that moment, a strong black wind was created around Kanon. It caused every single people to stop what they were doing and the horses neighed piercingly. Kyuuju stepped back as the wind begun to attack at random. His eyes observed the confusion in Kanon's expression. Her left eye was still in a golden hue.

Akio and Saburo both directed their eyes back, but the black wind blocked their view and threw them off guard. The same with the bandits who were against each other.

Souji felt his feet leaving the ground and the wind almost carried him off. The other wind also had blown some of the bandits off the ground and raised them into the air. Souji glared, looking around. He noted his friends were safe and were still around, _even_ Yuma.

And then Kosuzu let out a shout. The three men with her had turned to look up where she was being taken off to the sky. "Kosuzu!" Ryunosuke dashed to follow her.

"Ryunosuke!" she reached out, her eyes widening.

"Ibuki!" Hajime called after him, but remained behind a tree to avoid the wind.

Sanosuke frowned and glanced where the source of the wind was coming from. '_Kanon-chan, what's happening to you_?' he so badly wanted to shout his question out.

Unaware of herself, Kanon covered her face with her hands. As if she stood in the eye of a hurricane, she mentally asked, '_What's causing the wind? Am I the one who's doing it_?' She tried to stop it, hearing her name in the deafening wind. Beginning to feel it was not her power at all, she had no clue how to end the wind.

The thought of Little Fukui came to mind. She shut her eyes and tried harder, thinking perhaps it was the life of the baby that caused the wind. But, how? Was it even possible? What kind of power did the life inside of her have? She begun to tremble and repeated her own name to remember who she was. But her mind continued freaking out.

"Tsk!" Kyou's body soon rose into the air. The wind quickly carried him. Having no idea what was happening, he scanned around. His back just slammed into Kyuuju, which caused Little Fukui to fall from his arms. "Amagiri!" Kyou scolded loudly in the nosy storm.

Kyuuju reached out for the boy's hand, although the black wind was fast and the hand he struggled to take hold of was no longer reachable. "Shiranui, do something," Kyou slightly blamed the other Oni, looking back to him calmly.

"We're _both_ in the air, what can we do?" Kyou snapped. He then noticed Yuma's body being blown the wind and Kyou shouted, "Hey, you! _Do_ something!"

Unfortunately, Yuma could not. The only thing, probably not enough to repent, was that he recognized the black wind. '…_Is that the Walking Dream_?' he inquired at the back of his mind. How was _that_ possible? Yuma grunted, unable to fight through the wind whereas he could no longer see the others on the ground.

Kanon begun to take note of Sanosuke's voice, but it was all becoming faint. She turned her body; walking and realized the wind did not harm her. It would move away and simply create wind all around her. '_Come on, think_,' her lips quavered.

Suddenly, the wind stopped with no reason. Kanon held in her breath and searched for her friends. Many bandits were still present, even the numbers had decreased. There was still Akio and Saburo near by. She did not see Kyou or Kyuuju. Even Yuma. Furthermore, Sanosuke and Hajime seemed to be missing. And Souji…

"Kanon," Souji walked up to her side.

She smiled with relief when Souji approached with Little Fukui in his arms. And then her eyes tried to track the others once again. But she did not see any of them. Did the wind carry all of them away? _That_ fast? How far though? And would they be all right, falling from the sky and landing on the ground? That thought extremely worried her.

"What was that… just now?" Souji inquired, staring at her carefully. He was lucky that he was still here, but he had his concern for his friends who had disappeared during the powerful gale. He could only hope they would be able to land on their feet.

Kanon shook her head, her eyes only fixed on the boy's body. She was very unsure and hoped Souji would understand that. '_Why did the wind stop_?' she questioned herself, staring at her right hand. She tried to trace her powers, but it still felt dry. She was not able to revive Little Fukui just yet.

Their little silence was soon disturbed. "Akio, what happened to our men?!" Saburo shouted.

Souji and Kanon both directed their attention back to the front. Nearly all of the bandits' hair had turned white and their eyes red. They all smiled and killed the last of the men who did not convert like they did. And the wounds on their flesh that were inflicted on them during the brawl… they healed.

"What the…?" Akio cautiously stepped back to stand beside the alerted Saburo.

"The Rasetsu in the day?" Souji glared, lowering Little Fukui down. However, Kanon took the boy into her own arms and then Souji drew out his katana and pointed it out. She took a few steps back and Souji shifted his feet to cover her and boy.

"Hahaha, no, we're not the Rasetsu," one of the white-haired bandits stated. His insignificant presence meant nothing, but his words struck strongly, "We are the _Hakuouki_."

An unfamiliar name. Souji wondered if they were the new type of Rasetsu. But… who gave _that_ group a name like 'Hakuouki'?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	29. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: Yikes! It's been almost two weeks! Here's the new chapter, everyone! XD

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 25**

Surrounded by the Hakuouki, Souji fought against them with his katana. He swung horizontally and sliced the flesh of three men. His slanted his eyes and continued to move his katana at the same level, circling behind him. The shape edge cut across the incoming whitehair man and some blood splattered on Souji's cold expression.

No matter how much he hurt them, their wounds would always heal. This was pointless.

As well as Souji was fighting, his mind was thinking of something else. '_What was with that black wind_?' he asked himself, attacking with care.

What was happening to Kanon?

Saburo's blood extended from both of his arms and formed into blades, striking out like branches to push all of the Hakuouki away. He gritted as his teeth as he noted the enemies regenerating their flesh wounds. '_There's no end to this_!' Saburo glared, becoming impatient.

Even striking for their hearts, it was still not enough. Cutting their arms off was hard because the bandits were rather skilled and evaded as if it was a child's play. They were very quick on their feet as well. They were more like monsters than humans.

When Saburo tried to aim to cut their heads off, he would hold back because it felt too cruel. '_But if I want to get everyone out of here_…' Saburo tried to strengthen up his resolve. He would have to be more brutal. So he waved his right hand whilst the blood struck out to the surrounding bandits.

And blood dyed the mound.

In Kanon's arms, she held Little Fukui close. She jumped away from all of the blades that aimed for her. Akio was with her, protecting her while Saburo did the same. As for Souji, he was a _bit_ too far from them.

"Saburo-sama, we must escape!" Akio yelled over his shoulder.

"How?!" Saburo wailed. Hearing men behind him, the blood formed out of Saburo's back and struck out, tearing his upper shirt to pieces. Two men fallen in that moment as Saburo's hardened blood returned to liquid, but the bandits healed rather quickly and got up on their feet. And Saburo hurried to push all of them away with his power.

Earlier, Akio was shocked to see Saburo utilizing such a strange ability. And what caused the boy to gain such a frightful power? Akio snapped his eyes to the girl, "You!"

Kanon flinched from his loud, deep voice and stopped evading as Saburo backed up behind her to shield her. "What?" she looked at Akio with a light glare.

"You did something, right?" he questioned her. She gave him a perplexed stare and Akio attacked more bandits with his katana. "_That_ black wind!"

They were being pushed back by the Hakuouki. Kanon's eyes became watery, "That wind… wasn't me…"

"What?" Akio's eyes glanced over his shoulder to her. He was hoping she could throw some of the Hakuouki away to clear themselves a path. But if that was not her doing, who was it? It made no sense to him. Perhaps she was lying. She _had_ to be, right?

Souji hissed infuriatingly and pressed forward. His katana begun to dance and blood flew to the sky in the direction he took. His hair became white and his eyes turned as red as the bandits'. "Stay out of our way," Souji murmured. As calm as he wanted to be, he was losing his edge.

Realizing Souji ran off even further, Kanon shouted to him, "Souji, come back here!" But it would seem he chose to disregard her.

"Another Hakuouki, eh?" Souji heard a voice snickered. Souji turned his hands to hold his katana tighter just as he blocked another incoming katana. He glared into the pair of red eyes of the bandit. The pair of eyes that showed they were the same kind of monsters. "Why don't you serve Haru-sama too?" the bandit smirked widely.

"Invitation rejected," Souji's eyes grew deadly. "My only desire is to _kill_ her."

Over to the other group, Akio took note of the carriage over fifteen meters away. It was the same carriage where they kept Little Fukui inside earlier. Fortunately, Akio raised the horses as he saw the animals were calm and simply stood at the sidelines. The Hakuouki seemed to have picked up their pace as well. "Saburo-sama!" Akio gestured his left hand to the carriage.

Saburo glanced back and easily understood the man's plan. Side stepping by Kanon, Saburo threw his right fist out. His blood shot out from his knuckles and created a tunnel-like pathway that lead straight to the carriage. Saburo winced since using his power caused him pain.

However, Kanon reached for his forehead with her first, right fingertip and healed his opened wounds. He smiled gratefully, "Kanon-san, take Little Fukui there first. We'll be behind you."

She nodded, dashing off with the dead child in her arms. Her stomach felt ill again, but she tried not to let that stop her. She stomped her feet to run, passing Akio and aimed for the carriage that was just in front of her.

Right after that, Akio followed Kanon promptly, hearing the Hakuouki trying to break through the tunnel of blood with their katanas. Even bullets were fired.

Kanon had opened up the wide door in the back carriage and rushed to lay Little Fukui over on the right, but she had a bit difficulty doing that by herself. Her arms were giving in for some reason and she felt she had not been very strong as of late. Akio soon aid her, carrying the boy with ease and laid him down carefully.

There was no time to exchange words as Akio picked Kanon up with his hands under her arms. She stared blankly and she moved to sit in the carriage. There were questions she wanted to ask the man, but kept them in and focused on escaping.

"Okita-san!" Saburo's voice called.

The green-eyed man looked back to follow the voice. He reckoned the others were planning their escape now. Which was good. So Souji dashed toward the red tunnel, his blade waving out to cut an incoming bullet that aimed for his chest.

Saburo was at the end of the tunnel with the only entrance. On his will, the tunnel grew spikes to attack all of the offenders. Souji now approached him and Saburo sealed up the entry for the time being. "You go first, Okita-san," Saburo quickly said.

Wanting to argue, Souji smirked. "You first," Souji snickered.

The blood of the tunnel hardened even more and continued to grow spikes back and forth on the outside to keep the Hakuouki away. Saburo pouted to Souji and pointed the way, "I'm telling you—"

"A royalty should always go first," Souji patted on his shoulder. Grabbing the same shoulder, he gave Saburo a push further into the tunnel. Sneering, Souji gestured, "So, go already."

"Hurry, Saburo-sama!" Akio shouted over to them. He was now seated in the front carriage with the reins in his hands. He was quite upset _and_ impatient. Mainly the reason was his own men… half of them fought each other and were no longer under his own command. But he had lost an army a few times before. The loss meant nothing to him. Even Yumeko's death.

However, everything now seemed to be going downhill… his men… and his niece's death. He was losing his duty and everything else. And now, Saburo was his only remaining objective. Evidently, he must carry out to make sure Saburo was safe from harm's way.

Saburo grunted, glancing back to Souji for a mere second. The horses neighed and the sound of the carriage begun moving. Saburo turned to look and saw Akio riding toward them. At the back of the carriage, it appeared Kanon was standing on the edge at the back and her arms on the roof of the carriage.

"Come on, let's go already!" Kanon expressed with a soft glare.

Seeing as Kanon reached a hand out, Souji gladly moved pass Saburo and took her hand as the carriage came by. She pulled Souji up as strongly as possible and his feet stepped into the back. Saburo flattened his expression as the carriage slowed a few feet from behind him. Grunting childishly, Saburo turned his head and peered to Souji, who just moved into the carriage with Kanon. She turned her head to the jet-black haired guy and her face told him to pick up his pace.

Within a single step Saburo took, the tunnel of blood suddenly had cracks all over the place. There was that red light again, revealing through the cracks eerily.

Akio scowled, "Saburo-sama, come!"

Kanon reached out and Souji was looking out to the cracks. It happened so quickly. As the tunnel collapsed, the red eyes of the Hakuouki peeked through the large cracks. Saburo glared to them and his palms opened. His blood leaked through them, whilst he winced more in pain, he willed the blood to circulate around him, the horses, and the carriage.

The blood managed to slice parts of the Hakuouki who were near by and the other monsters backed away with one leap to dodge them skillfully.

Souji glared and his red eyes continued to stay the same. The Hakuouki seemed much powerful than the Rasetsu. Why was that though? It felt amiss. "Saburo, come on!" Souji shouted rashly, his eyes over to the younger boy.

Saburo smiled at the back of his head. The blood formed into whips and slapped behind both horses of the carriage.

Letting out a light gasp, Akio bit his tongue as the horses screamed and charged forward without the one person who had not gotten on the carriage. "Saburo-sama!" Akio snapped his head to the back, trying to grip on the reins that almost slipped from his fingers.

The horses were still galloping. Kanon cried as her heart raced, "Saburo!"

Souji could not believe _that_ just happened. What was Saburo thinking acting alone? They could still escape together. "Saburo!" Souji shouted as well, a bit pissed he had to play the _hero_.

Standing in front of the bandits, or the Hakuouki, Saburo was in a cautious stance as his blood swayed around him to keep the Hakuouki from slipping by him to get his friends. '_Where did that red light come from_?' Saburo's silver eyes hurried to search among the whitehair men.

For a mere moment, Saburo saw a little boy. He was sitting up in a tree about a hundred feet away. The ten or eleven-year-old boy's hair was black, the length of it reached down to his neck. His eyes were red, staring at the ground. He wore a black, buttoned, long sleeves and black pants with brown short boots. His gaze was as silent as he appeared.

Saburo felt a cold air going down his spine as the boy's red eyes gazed directly to him. With his red eyes glowing, a ray of red light flashed outward. Saburo covered himself with his hardened blood. He was not sure what would happen. As the red light touched his blood, it shattered once more and vanished into thin air.

"What?" Saburo hissed, his eyes glancing around. '_Who is that boy? Is he being mind controlled by Haru too_?'

"Thanks, Kuroro," one of the bandits waved to the red-eyed boy with a snicker.

Some of the Hakuouki slid by Saburo's watchful eyes. Luckily, he stopped them in time with his blood becoming a sharp edge. Yet, he was worried about that kid who created the red light. What if the light touched Saburo? Would that cease him from using his power? He must keep his guard up.

"Saburoooo!" Kanon called him again. '_What the hell is he thinking? Is he planning on leaving my side and let me die_?!' …Or was it going to be the other way around? The thought terrified her and she hoped Saburo was not thinking what she was realizing.

Akio was able to stop the horses, but they were quite a few ways from the group of bandits now. Souji had seen the scene of the red light and the mysterious boy who was behind it all. With the way Saburo was going at and all by himself, Souji doubt Saburo would be able to handle all of it on his own.

Just when Souji was going to jump off the carriage, Kanon grabbed his arm and he looked at her concerned face. "Souji, you can control the wind with your eyes!" she notified. He saw slight tears in her eyes and she demanded, "Bring Saburo _here_ right now!"

She feared losing Saburo, Souji understood that. But he wasted a few more seconds to adjust her words and the expression on her face. The way she finally told him his power… it was only because she wanted Saburo to be by her side, was it not? Why was Souji even bothering to feel jealous at this point?

Souji's hair and eyes returned back to their original colors. He changed his view over to where Saburo was, who still fought against the Hakuouki. The red-eyed boy seemed to stop what he was doing and was just relaxing up in the tree. Next, Souji tapped into his power as soon as he could.

Wind. Every day, Souji would feel the breeze when he patrolled Kyoto back then. Sometimes the wind was pleasant, sometime it was ill. The wind always carried the scent of blood around him too. And the wind rarely carried any other scent. Not that he could even recall it though.

"Please don't tell me you can't use your power either!" Kanon hoped that was not the case. She tightened her grip on his arm and he let out a soft grunt.

Back to where Saburo was, he walked backwards as the overpowering Hakuouki were ganging up on him. '_Did Kanon-san just say what Okita-san's power was_?' Saburo thought questionably. Her voice was faint, but he believed he heard something like that.

Saburo just aimed for the Hakuouki's necks and hearts, but they simply moved too fast for him yet again. They even blocked him with their katanas. The only thing Saburo was relieved about was that he tore up all riffles he saw. In this way, no bandits had a bullet to shoot anymore.

Out of nowhere, the wind seemed to carry Saburo's off the ground. Having no idea what occurred, Saburo shot out more blood to stop any Hakuouki from coming any closer. The wind pulled Saburo while it also pushed the Hakuouki from proceeding forward.

'_Oh_,' Saburo blinked. He realized it. Was it Souji's power?

On his bottom, Saburo landed right into the carriage with his legs over the edge and his eyes widened as Kanon hugged him from behind. He was quiet and his face went a bit pale. "…Kanon-san?" he did not blink. He was just so shocked by her embrace, which was out of her own free will.

She whimpered fearfully, "Don't ever leave me…" Her chin was on his right shoulder and her eyes were closed shut. '_I can't imagine what I would do without you, stupid Saburo_…'

Souji and Akio were staring at them. And they _both_ were disapproving the moment between Kanon and Saburo. Shortly, though, Souji went back to hold the Hakuouki back with wind. Since he could only control the wind with his eyes, he tried to ignore the closeness between the two.

The Hakuouki were not flying off of their feet though. Was it because Souji was too far? Or was it just because he was not yet strong enough? Souji glared as the red-eyed boy tilted his head as if he was thinking up a plan. Kuroro was his name, right? And that boy had the power to cancel out other powers…? Was his mind being controlled by Haru as well?

With a simple smile, Saburo moved to face Kanon. He was on his knees and touched her right cheek with his bloody palm. His other hand patted her shoulder. "You're my princess, remember?" he grinned happily. "So, I'll protect you with my life, even if it means I have to leave you."

"Wait, what?" she looked up to him. Her hands securely held his arms in case he planned on really parting.

Akio suddenly grasped he should make the horses gallop now. However, his eyes were still on Saburo and Kanon. Just then, Saburo's thumb on Kanon's shoulder reached down to her collarbone. In a flash, he pressed his thumb behind the bone and it made Kanon lose her conscious. Then he slightly pushed her back toward Souji, who just caught her.

"Saburo!" Souji fixed his gaze to him, stopping his winds. His eyes widened the moment Saburo swung his hand out to his face. The blood blade from Saburo's palm cut across Souji's eyes and Souji backed away with his hand quickly covering them. He groaned painfully, feeling the blood through his fingers, and wanted to curse.

Saburo smirked, "You let your guard down again, Okita Souji… Because I can be ruthless when I have to be."

"Damn you…" Souji mumbled, cringing with absolute pain. His other hand around Kanon held her tightly while he gritted his teeth together. The bleeding continued and he tried to focus.

"…Saburo-sama," Akio lost his breathing, staring at the young man. He was not sure how to feel, but Saburo would never assort to such violence. Was Saburo getting desperate?

"Akio, leave here with my friends," Saburo commanded, moving off the carriage.

"But…" Akio turned his upper body. Chuckling, Saburo gave him a thumbs up. No more words were exchanged and Akio gradually looked away. He nodded though and tightened his grip on the reins. '_So… even I would lose Saburo-sama_…' An order was an order. And Saburo had firmly meant it.

"Later, Okita-san," Saburo said, turning around and ran off. "Take care of everyone."

Souji tried to grab for his arm, but he obviously made his move too late. Souji almost hit against Kanon's fallen body and he tried to shake her awake. Of course, she did not respond. "Saburo! Get back here!" Souji exclaimed.

That _damn_ guy could not be doing this to him. How was Souji going to explain to Kanon about all of this? It would only tear her heart apart.

Akio shook on the reins harshly, commanding the horses to neigh loudly and charging forward once more. Souji grunted in the rocky ride, his hand still over his eyes. His chest felt heavy thinking about Saburo looking for death. He probably was. Because he should know Kanon would die if they were away from each other. Or would Saburo catch up? Souji was not certain.

"Curse it," Souji murmured angrily, his muscle tightening up.

Ignoring the great pain in his eyes, his heart ached much more.

The boy in the tree sighed and blinked slowly, watching the carriage taking off in the horizon. '_This way is fine too_,' the boy stared blankly.

A nearby bandit smirked to the boy in the tree. "Kuroro, what should we do with the remaining guy?" the bandit inquired.

When Kuroro did not answer, Saburo glared to the bandits, who seemed to be waiting now. They could feel his determination and snickered mockingly. Raising his left arm, Saburo let the blood tore off his skin and formed into a red blade. "I don't get why Haru is so bent on going after Kanon-san…" Saburo mumbled, walking forward. "…But I won't let Haru do as she pleases."

"Oh, but Haru-sama had already set her entire goal into motion," a bandit told him before laughing amusingly.

"And don't you worry," another man assured. "You'd be happy in the end."

Saburo's left arm hurt. He glared and his right hand turned into a fist. "To hell with that," Saburo ran to them now. His feet felt light and his mind felt almost faint. However, he would do anything to put an end to the group of Hakuouki. Or whatever they were.

The incoming attack made Kuroro stand up in the tree. He studied how the blood from Saburo swung like a spinning blade and the katanas of the bandits did nothing, only to be slice into pieces by Saburo's bloody edge. Successfully, Saburo sliced through the bandits' bodies in half and many others backed up with a plan of their own to counter individually.

"I am sorry," the words were whispered from Kuroro's lips. '_I cannot have you kill all of the Hakuouki_…' The boy's red eyes glowed and a red light emitted in front of him. Soon after that, the red light shot out within a flash, passing through Saburo's body.

Saburo's power completely stopped and he groaned in pain. He fell on left right knee, his right hand covered up his missing arm. He was bleeding nonstop. "S-Shit…" Saburo shut his eyes in pain. '_What the hell_?'

What was he thinking, trying to die in a place like this? He knew the red-eyed kid had something to do with disabling the powers. …It was such an odd power the boy possessed. Who _was_ he?

The Hakuouki walked forward, closing in on Saburo. They wondered who should taint their katana with his blood, giving Saburo a few moments of his remaining life. Saburo remained where he was, trying to think of any way to stall any more time for his friends.

Kuroro did not watch them. He simply spun on his left foot and vanished from the hopeless scene.

Snickering, Saburo closed his eyes. '_This is so stupid_…' he mentally told himself. He wanted to die as a hero… but it clearly seemed he made the wrong choice to leave Kanon and the others. Now, all of his friends would scold Saburo down to his very own grave.

Not that he minded though. They were the very first people to talk down to him and treat him like a kid. While at his old home, as the Emperor's cousin, he was respected left and right. Which was why Saburo cherished his new friends very much. He was happy to have met all of them. There was no more for regrets.

Opening his eyes and staring at the ground, Saburo thought he should have died a long time ago. Therefore he was fine with this ending. It was better than to die in the hands of an assassin while trying to escape. Smiling happily, he whispered with a chuckle, "Take care of yourself, Kanon-hime."

'_And thank you for letting me live one more time_.'

[…^…]

A young woman walked on the streets of Edo. The path she took was a peaceful one and there was no sign of people. Exactly how she liked it. Dressed in a white and orange kimono, she used her left hand to brush her blond hair behind her right ear. There was a scar high on her front neck, possibly by a blade of some kind.

Her pink eyes flickered in the sunlight as she noticed a familiar figure down the path. Out in the open area where a Buddhist temple stood, there were also opened hallways that connected to two other buildings. The building in the middle stood about three floors, which was the temple. The opened halls at the sides of the temple connected to two one-story buildings, which blocked paths of the territory beyond the buildings.

By a large green tree, there was a muscular man sleeping under it. His back was on the ground and his arms at his sides. And he snored loudly.

Approaching the sleeping man, the blond haired woman smirked and went to sit by his side. His brown hair was ruffled and messy under his green headband. Seeing how cute he was, she moved and laid next to him, but distanced herself about a few feet away.

Closing her eyes, she listened to the wind that would soon turn into a storm.

There was no going back, but she would enjoy peace while she could.

"…Haru-san?" a girl's voice sounded unsure.

The blond haired woman slowly opened her eyes, feeling disturbed. However, she smiled and heard the footsteps slowly coming closer. Her eyes then gazed up as a dark shadow was casted above her. She now saw a young girl leaning forward and blinking a couple of times down to her. That girl had brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a simple dull purple kimono.

The girl smiled gently as she whispered, "Welcome back, Haru-san… Shinpachi-san was waiting, you know?"

Haru moved to sit up and just gave the girl a half smile.

"Where have you been?" the girl inquired, moving down to sit on her ankles. She was by the other side of Shinpachi. She stared at Haru, who shook her head, showing she refused to answer. Continuing to whisper, she asked, "Should I wake Shinpachi-san up?"

Again, Haru shook her head 'no.' There was no point. Shinpachi was always loud. So Haru liked the way he currently was.

There was a short moment of silence. The wind was the only thing that made sounds, aside from Shinpachi snoring. Haru blinked and then smirked. She raised her hand and pointed to the temple.

The girl stared with confusion. When Haru frowned, the girl clapped her hands softly. "Oh, should I take you to your brother's grave?" she questioned as quietly as possible. Haru nodded and the girl stood up. "You must have missed him. Come. We'll visit Kazama and Hijikata-san's graves together."

Haru smiled almost cheerfully and reached out her hand to the girl. A second later, the girl realized what Haru wanted from her raised hand. Walking around Shinpachi, she took Haru's hand and helped her up. '_Thanks, Chizuru_,' Haru smiled playfully, almost chuckling.

The two were standing in front of each other and did not walk yet. The breeze just felt too good to move through it.

The girl blinked and wondered what was Haru thinking right now. '_It can't be helped_,' she thought to herself. '_After all, Haru-san lost her voice_.' However, the girl, Yukimura Chizuru, was not certain when Haru had suffered without the usage of her voice.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	30. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: Sorry about the (2-week) late update. 8D I have a secret life and I focused too much on it. But here's chapter 26~!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 26**

In the small forest, Ren jogged for quite some time. He had no idea where everybody was located. Yuma went ahead a long time ago in the direction he was taking, so Ren hoped to see someone very soon. _Now_ would be appreciated too.

'_Come on_,' Ren thought to himself. '_Even a single dead body would help_.' And he wished he had not thought of that. Ren came to a complete stop as he saw Yuma knelt down by a _dead_ body with scars of blades cut into him.

The whole field was filled with blood. But… there was only one body. What took place here?

Yuma lifted up his eyes and saw Ren, who seemed expressionless. And then Ren went to approach him slowly. "…We were too late," Yuma uttered quietly with his eyes closed. He regretted for not coming faster. As a true Oni, Yuma could have sore his muscles to come and save the dead person in front of him.

"It can't be helped…" Ren murmured. He gazed to the body of Saburo, who was only missing an arm and the rest of his body were intact. Unhurriedly, Ren kneeled down on his left knee and he stared at Saburo's motionless face wordlessly.

"Ren, is something the matter?" Yuma inquired. He noticed Ren was now smiling rather ruefully. Obviously it was strange.

Continuing to stare at Saburo's peaceful face, Ren kept his smile. "…Nothing much," he replied, still not moving his eyes away. "It's just that… I realized who this guy actually is. …I had a mission to assassinate him more than a year ago. …And I thought I had killed him because I never failed before. He should have been died back then."

'…_Assassinate_?' Yuma thought to himself, keeping his eyes on the human curiously. Just what kind of life did Ren lead?

"And it would appear Saburo-sama is dead for good this time," Ren shrugged. He looked to Yuma and nodded a little. "But with dignity and with a smile on his face. He must have had a fulfilling time."

Yuma grunted and moved up on his feet. "I'm going to advance forward," he firmly said. He paused when Ren moved dig his hands in the dirt beside Saburo. "…Ren?"

"You go on ahead," Ren smirked, glancing up for a second. "I'm going to bury Saburo-sama first."

That was an honest gesture. Yuma felt a bit ashamed for only thinking about the safety of Kanon. "I…" Yuma uttered, slightly looking to Saburo's lifeless body. "But Kanon can always revive her friend here… can she not? Why don't we bring him to her?"

Ren sighed a bit, "I'm not sure what happened here, but how can we carry _this_ body and find her? The body will rot by then, don't you think?"

Besides. There was that peaceful look on Saburo's face… He had already prepared himself to depart from this world. There was no use trying to go through the trouble to find Kanon to revive him.

"It's fine, Yuma," Ren chuckled. Both of his hands dug deeper and he used more strength. "You go. I'll catch up after I'm done here. No matter what." Yuma stood there, which made Ren look back at him with a teasing smirk. "Hurry up before that girl ends up dead too."

Yuma quickly turned and reverted into his Oni form. Without another word, Yuma jumped into the sky and disappeared.

Sighing, Ren went back to digging. Dirt gone under his fingernails, pulling the dirt to the side, and going deeper. Ren then picked up the dirt with his right palm and he stared at it with his one eye. Afterwards, he slowly tilted his palm and watched the dirt fall to the ground and some spilled on his lap.

'_Is there a way to start all over again_?' Ren wondered as he glared to himself.

[…^…]

For some time now, Kosuzu woke up with pain around her right arm. When she opened her eyes, she realized what happened when she noted she was over the unconscious Ryunosuke. Yes, that was right. They were carried off by the strong black wind and when the wind finally died as Ryunosuke took her hand, they were falling down from the sky for a while. She could not recall for how long.

And it would have appeared Ryunosuke protected her by landing on the ground first. Blood leaked onto the dried grass from his head and the sight terrified her.

"Ryunosuke!" she moved off of him. The extreme concern in her voice proved useless. He did not respond. Kosuzu shook his shoulders, whispering and hoping he was still alive. That made her moved down to listen to his breathing through his nose.

Yes. He _was_ still breathing. Thank goodness!

Kosuzu moved to sit up and analyze her surroundings. It seemed like they were out in the wild, still, and they were in the middle of a hill of tall dried grasses. Half of the grass seemed worn out, as if something stomped on them… And the sky was turning dark. She eased her breathing to calm herself and looked back to Ryunosuke.

Lifting up his body, she realized her power was now back. '_So, it would really seem it was caused by that odd red light in the sky_,' she thought as she concluded.

Her right hand took Ryunosuke to put his arm behind her neck and her right left hand grabbed around his waist. His head limped and she easily walked off, trying not to have his feet get drag on the ground.

"Where's everyone?" she glanced around carefully.

No sign of enemies. No signs of her friends. She hoped they were all doing okay.

First, she had to find place to hide from the opened area. And then she will tend to Ryunosuke's wounds. Rushing off, she picked a spot down a hill that was nearly covered up with rocks piled up over each other.

Kosuzu tore off the ends of her kimono and wrapped around the injury of Ryunosuke's head. It was the only wound that bled. That was another good thing. Laying him down, she sighed with distress. Her head was hurting.

And now, she must think of a way to find everyone. Where were they? Kosuzu bit her thumbnail and narrowed her eyes. …Just where should she start? She was not even sure.

And then she remembered what Sanosuke said before. '_If anything happens, and if it's gets out of hand… let's meet in Edo_.' She clearly recalled.

'_Edo_,' Kosuzu nodded to herself, quietly observing Ryunosuke's face.

Yes. Kosuzu had faith in heading for Edo would be the wise choice. That was the only lead she had and perhaps everyone else would realize it too.

[…^…]

A figure ran hastily through a forest. Emerging above the trees, Kyou leapt into the air and his eyes scanned around. The trees seemed damaged, fallen over, and he figured perhaps it was by the black wind. What else could it have been?

He was a bit lost when the wind carried him and Kyuuju into the sky. They had no idea where they were. Being an Oni, they both landed safely with their monstrous strength. But for the humans…

"Tsk," Kyou glared, biting his lower lip. '_Humans are so fragile… if any of _them_ landed on earth_…'

Just as he thought that, he came to a complete stop and scowled. In front of him, by a fallen tree, there was Hajime. He lay on his stomach and was unconscious. His clothes were a bit in a mess, possibly because of the fall.

"Great," Kyou walked over to him. He better be alive. Kyou knelt by the human and carefully made sure not to harm Hajime in case he broke a bone or two. Fortunately, Hajime was still breathing. Just a couple of bruises on the left side of his face. Maybe there were more bruises underneath his attire.

Picking Hajime over on his back, Kyou stood up with his hands holding the back of Hajime's knees and hurried back through the forest. '_I hope Amagiri found others somewhere_,' Kyou thought bitterly. Anybody would do. They all have to meet up again.

Or else they would be too late when Haru start her next move. Whenever it was.

Jumping over the trees now, Kyou did not care who saw him as he revealed his leaping skills throughout the forest. And then he heard Hajime groaned softly in his left ear and his head slightly twitched. Kyou smirked to himself, '_Seems like this human still have the will to live on_.' Which was good.

Once again, Kyou felt admiration toward the humans. Was this always the feeling Kazama Chikage had in the past? …Too bad that blond haired and red-eyed Oni was no longer alive.

Exiting the woods, Kyou landed on the ground and he long felt Kyuuju's presence to the right. So he turned to look.

With his arms crossed over his chest, Kyuuju was standing still as he now gazed to Kyou. Down by a tree, Sanosuke was leaned back on it and he opened one of his eyes, smiling as a greeting to Kyou.

"Oh, good," Kyou snickered, walking over to them with Hajime still on his back. "Now we just need a little more than half of the group then we'll be one big family again."

"No time for jokes," Sanosuke chuckled weakling, lowering his head. His stomach ached and his right arm was around it to keep the pain from killing him. Sanosuke had a couple of scars on his face. Tree branch marks, maybe. His clothes were also in a bit of mess.

Kyuuju glanced to Hajime, who seemed to try to get himself back together. "Shiranui, I suggest we tend to their wounds first," Kyuuju commented with a slight tone of care. "One of us will resume the search for everyone else."

"Oh, sure," Kyou shrugged purposing, waking Hajime up even more. Kyou was going to offer to leave and do the seeking, but then Kyuuju had suddenly disappeared first. "You want _me_ to treat their wounds?" Kyou frowned to himself. Doing _that_ would make the other Oni clans laugh at him.

Sanosuke gazed to Hajime, who was able to finally lift up his head and open his eyes. "Hajime, how are you feeling?" Sanosuke inquired, wincing a bit.

Kyou walked over and slowly moved to lay Hajime back up against the tree next to Sanosuke. "He'll be fine," Kyou said, getting up and taking a few steps away.

Coughing a bit, Hajime smoothed his chest and grunted. Sanosuke leaned to him to see if he was all right. "I will feel well soon enough," Hajime uttered quietly, closing his sleepy eyes. He remembered the harsh drop from the sky… and then the darkness when he lost consciousness.

The Oni glanced over his right shoulder and furrowed his eyebrows to the humans. They were talking for a moment while Kyou told himself, '_Seriously… I have to treat their wounds? They look fine_.'

During that moment, Sanosuke tried his power. His golden eyes lit up… but he was unable to track any of the others aside from themselves. '_Damn it_…' Sanosuke's eyes creased from glowing. He groaned softly and lowered his head. '_I hope everyone is safe_…'

[…^…]

As time was beginning to temporary mend itself, over at Edo, Shinpachi was sulking while sitting outside and his arms folded to his chest. He was beyond the walls of the Buddhist temple, sitting in a yard of arranged trees that were lined up, and small bushes in front of him. There were six graves standing in his view too.

Starting from the left side of the stone tablet, the names were written in these orders on each grave: Toudou Heisuke, Sannan Keisuke, Okita Souji, Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, and then Kazama Chikage.

All of those names gave Shinpachi a long sigh.

He would visit them everyday. Though the bodies of Toudou Heisuke, Sannan Keisuke, Okita Souji, and Kondou Isami were never retrieved, but he knew they were long gone. However, he was not certain if Hajime had died out there somewhere. The same with Sanosuke, who just disappeared on Shinpachi one day.

From what Chizuru mentioned, Toudou Heisuke and Sannan Keisuke both disappeared due to their full usage of their Rasetsu form. Okita Souji was simply gone and considered as dead as he had left only his katana behind. And Kondou Isami was beheaded.

As for Hijikata and Kazama… well, Chizuru had already explained Shinpachi of that certain incident. And Shinpachi was lucky to have found Chizuru when he searched out for Sanosuke.

Over time, there was no hope or any sign of either Sanosuke or Hajime. Perhaps they disappeared in the ashes of war as well. Never to be seen again.

Shinpachi had to give up on looking for them. He wanted to take care of Chizuru. There was Haru too. Chizuru claimed Haru appeared after Hijikata and Kazama died. But the rest of the story about how Haru came around was still a mystery.

Although, the only thing that mattered was that he wanted to take care both of those two women. He even begun running a dojo in Edo, without Sanosuke.

A sigh escaped Shinpachi's lips again and his yearn for his friends still remain strong. Being left alone and alive left such a heavy burden. Not only him, there was still Chizuru and Haru.

"Mm," a finger poked Shinpachi's right cheek.

It caused him to stop his train of thoughts and he quickly looked up, leaning away from the hand. Haru was standing by him and smirked with wonder. "And where have you been?" Shinpachi uttered, making a disapprovingly look. But then his expression faded when he stared at the scar on her high neck.

Wearing the same smirk, she moved to sit next to him and her eyes over to Kazama's grave. Having no voice, it almost seemed normal of her just being very quiet. Shinpachi pouted and leaned further away from her awkwardly.

"Did you eat, Haru-chan?" Her eyes gazed to him and she smiled with a nod. Shinpachi glanced at her and then they both looked at the graves again. "…Chizuru-chan must be cleaning again," he rushed to get up. Rolling up his sleeves with a grin, he brought his eyes down to the blond haired woman. "I'm going to clean in Chizuru-chan's place! I'll be sure to tell her to come here and chat with you!"

Haru blinked and watched him take his leave without a gesture. He seemed excited, but his smile was forced. When he gone through a door nearby, Haru softened her face and slowly directed her view to all of the graves.

'…_He doesn't know Souji's still alive_,' she thought to herself and heaved a breath afterwards.

And Shinpachi's forced smile. She did not like it and the image remained in her head.

With a grin, Haru thought calmly, '_Shinpachi… don't worry. I'll make sure to get all of your friends back_.' But she had an immoral way to make it work, whether he liked it or not. And it was something he would get upset over, yet she persisted on it.

Her pink eyes glowed as she used her power granted by the cursed clan. '_Kiko, Momoko, rest while you're on your way to Edo_,' Haru told them with her eyes gently closed. '_And then I'll figure out the next course of action when you're both arrive here_.'

'_Yes, Lady Haru_,' the two female's voices responded casually.

Gradually, Haru opened her eyes and they stopped glowing. She stared at Kazama's grave and smiled in the quiet wind. The leaves of the trees and bushes seemed to sing all around her. This was a moment she was going to treasure as she was by herself. '_Hakuouki_…' she chuckled. '_Only you would think of a beautiful name such as that, Chikage-nii-sama_.'

[…^…]

Listening to the sound of the carriage hitting on the rocky road, Souji wondered how long they have been escaping. A little while ago, Akio had stopped the carriage by a stream and tended to Souji's wounds. Now Souji had a black cloth wrapped around his head over his eyes. The two men did not exchange words. For losing Saburo back there had caused them to be silent.

Forgetting the pain in his eyes, Souji's thoughts lead back to his friends who were blown by the black wind. Were they all right? And… what was wrong with Kanon? That black wind surely came from her back then.

His legs were lay down on the carriage and Kanon's head rested on his right thigh. He lowered his head and then reached to touch her, luckily he found her shoulder. "…Kanon," Souji decided to shake her awake, but tenderly. She did not respond. He grunted in pain with his other hand softly touching his eyes. The pain was too hard to ignore.

The horses suddenly neighed loudly and the carriage stopped abruptly, causing bodies on the carriage to lose their balance. Souji fell over toward Kanon's side and he groaned when his elbow hit against the wall pretty hard.

"Sorry about that," Akio called.

"What happened?" Souji asked, slowly getting up with his hands against the ground under him.

Letting out a long sigh, Akio replied, "Nothing. Just a little mammal running by unexpectedly." The carriage begun to move again, but slower this time.

Souji sat up and went to grab Kanon to rest on his lap again. He reached some more when he could not find her body. And then his hand touched her belly… her belly…

"Hm?" Souji gave it a rub around it. There was a bump. Wait. Too much of a bump. When did Kanon have such a belly? There was a long silence and he seemed to have realized it. "…Akio-san?"

"Yes?"

"…Let me borrow your sight for a second here."

Akio glanced back and signaled the horses to stop once again. "Is something the matter?" he inquired the man who he had not learned the name of yet. Souji gestured with his hand, patting on Kanon's belly slowly. Akio raised an eyebrow, turning around in his seat and went over to them. Falling quiet beside Little Fukui's dead body, he stared at Kanon. And her belly was now visibly noticeable. "…Is she pregnant?" Akio questioned, rushing over to help Kanon up. He feared the baby inside might be hurt, so he wanted to get her as comfortable as possible.

"…Pregnant?" Souji murmured. "…How?"

"I'm not the one you should be asking," Akio told him. He took off his black cape and used it cover Kanon's body to keep her warm. His cape had a tear at the end, which was used to tend to Souji's eyes. "I only just met the two of you. And it's strange… she didn't look like this earlier."

Souji felt empty inside and had no idea what to say. He reached out again found her body and his hand ran over her belly little by little. Something vibrated for a second and he gritted his teeth. "When did she… get pregnant?" he quietly demanded.

Akio fixed his eyes at him and saw Souji was biting his lower lip. "You didn't know?" he inquired curiously. "She must have hid it very well if you didn't."

"She was _fine_ before though," Souji raised his voice. He moved on his kneels and grabbed Kanon's forearm, shaking her. "Kanon!"

Frowning, Akio pulled on his hand and forced him to let go. "Stop it," he advised. "Let her get her rest first, lad." Souji scowled and moved back and roughly let his back touch the wall on the other side. Akio sighed tiredly and moved back to the front.

As the carriage begun to move, Souji asked himself over and over. He was confused. '_How did she get pregnant_?' he clawed the ground, scratching the wood endlessly.

If she really was pregnant, no woman could have that kind of belly in this short amount of time. Just what in the world was going on?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	31. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: I am so, SO sorry for the confusion I made in the last chapter. When I was editing it, I was half asleep and I DID NOT realize I made Haru 'talked' when she's actually mute. FORGIVE ME! She's mute, I repeat!

Also, I seriously wanted to update this chapter much sooner, but I was sick and too tired to open this story up. I was also catching up with an Anime (before that I had a lot of rest and I'm still feeling faint when I watched). If I may add, it's been almost a whole week since I have been feeling 'sick' and I am now recovering little by little.

*Talks on and on* and here's the next chapter! I should be free for two more days, so I'll be sure to update one more time before the weekend is over! 8D But no promises! I'm afraid I may not have time since life is unpredictable. :D

Anyway, that is all! Enjoy reading!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 27**

There was something that disturbed Souji, for he was thinking about a lot of things.

The problem he tried to solve in his head was… why was he not healing by himself? He was a Rasetsu, was he not? Those Hakuouki could regenerate by themselves, so how was Souji any different?

Then he started to recollect the past. There was that time when Souji asked Hajime to use his power on him. When Hajime caused Souji's fingertip to bleed, Souji realized that certain minor wound could not heal by itself. And this scene, none of the other men seemed to have noticed it either. Were they really too caught up in Haru's mess to even think straight or notice what was not right?

And there was the very beginning when Kanon did not fully heal him for the first time. With him being a Rasetsu, he should have healed without trouble and _without_ Kanon's help, right? After all of this time, Souji only just found what was so wrong. Was something happening to him? What exactly happened? It all seemed to have taken place _after_ Kanon revived him.

Perhaps the problem lied there. Kanon's healing power—

The carriage was now coming to a stop, Souji snapped out of his long, deep thoughts. Was it safe now? Souji slightly turned his head as he heard Akio moving into the carriage. "Where are we?" Souji demanded, grunting with pain once again as his eyes ached.

"Deep in a forest," Akio replied indifferently.

"Are we heading anywhere?"

"Do you have any suggestions?" Souji had none at the moment. Akio then said, "Perhaps we should find a doctor. The problem were only be the money…"

"We don't need a doctor," Souji informed emotionlessly.

Akio moved with his right foot on the carriage and he leaned his right elbow on it to look back at the blinded man. "And why not?" he inquired calmly. "You don't want to see if you can get your eyesight back?"

"Kanon can heal me when she wakes up," Souji said, his hands scratching the wood beside him. Saying her name reminded him she had a baby in her. …But what if it was not baby? Maybe it was just some fat? …That would make no sense though.

Observing closely, Akio could tell Souji wanted to snap. Having a thought, Akio asked, "This girl can heal? What do you mean?" Souji decided not to answer and Akio furrowed his eyebrows in their moment of silence. "Can she heal herself too? Are you saying she doesn't need to see a doctor? She's pregnant, remember?"

Souji lifted up his head and realized about that part. If Kanon really was having a baby, they should probably go see a doctor just in case. "…Take us to a doctor," Souji lightly nodded.

Akio smiled approvingly and turned around to face forward. "I still have no idea how far out we are," he stated as he scanned around. "The horses may need to drink water soon too…"

"Do whatever you see fit," Souji told him, leaving it to the older man. The carriage moved again and Souji remembered about Little Fukui. And then he wondered if Kanon could really bring him back alive. Maybe she could. Ayumu and her talked as if they could before.

Feeling rushed for answers and for Little Fukui to wake up, Souji moved to crawl on his knees and his hand touched long hair. His left hand then shook her shoulder. "Kanon," he called with a normal tone. "Kanon… wake up…"

Akio glanced back and frowned, '_What happened to letting her rest_?'

While Souji was still calling her name after each pause, Kanon's fingers twitched. Being able to force her eyes opened, there was only one thing on her mind that was now conscious. "…Where's Saburo?" she almost whispered.

Souji stopped shaking her and remained very still. Seeing Souji saying nothing had already answered her question. Her chest felt heavy and she tried to breathe properly. Kanon closed her eyes and tried to see if her power was still connected to anyone. Yet again, her power felt too dry. She could not control it as well as she used to.

The carriage was still moving and Akio wondered what they were doing in the silence.

Getting up with her hands pushing from the wooden ground, Kanon quickly covered her mouth and when felt she was going to throw up. Her stomach settled and she winced. The moment she moved to sit up more comfortably, she felt something was preventing her from doing so. Her eyes widened and her hand touched her belly and she looked down.

'_W-what_?' she rubbed her belly back and forth. '_Wh-why is it so big now_?' Was this a dream? She kept rubbing it and knew it was nothing of the sort. Kanon's heart jumped when Souji's hand overlapped with hers that was over her belly. Her nerves were restless and her blood was boiling. What was he going to say? …Kanon rather not know. With his hand like that, she knew he was aware of a child.

"Kanon," Souji mumbled, trying to keep a clear mind. She was not moving and he grasped her hand. "Explain this." He wanted to know _now_.

Completely frightened, she pushed him away and he almost fell over. Crawling away as her body was shaking with panic, Souji grabbed her ankle and pulled her.

"HEY!" Akio shouted over to them when he heard their ruckus. Kanon turned onto her back and then kicked into Souji's chest. He fell backwards and Kanon got up a little and jumped out of the carriage. Akio's eyes widened at her foolishness.

"Kanon!" Souji exclaimed when he had her heard her run. Her footsteps disappeared and he knew she must have escaped out of the moving carriage.

She had thought she would fall and roll on the ground, however black wind of its on will surrounded her and made her land safely on her feet. Kanon's heart raced with more fear of the unknown and she just wanted to run. And she did. She dashed as fast as she could and wanted to be alone. And hurry and get rid of the baby that held her back.

It was too humiliating if she told Souji what happened to her. He might even laugh at her. And she would not have it.

Souji was shouting for her name again. When the carriage stopped, he hurried to get off. Akio immediately rushed off of his seat and jogged to the back of the carriage. He stopped Souji from getting out and pushed him to stay in. "Stop it, relax!" Akio shouted in his face.

While grunting, Souji tried to fight back. "Kanon!"

Akio punched across his face and it caused Souji to fall to on his side. "You scared her away," he told the young man as he narrowed his eyes. Souji coughed a bit and moved to sit up silently as he wiped his mouth with a fist. "Why don't you calm your mind first before going after her?"

"…I am… _calm_," Souji murmured honestly, lowering his head. He gritted his teeth and just felt so confused. Because if Kanon shamefully ran off like that, she must been raped or something and did not want to face it with anyone. "Can you… take me to her, Akio-san? I don't want her to do anything stupid. She can be really senseless if no one watches over her."

Without much delay, Akio got a move on as if he already knew of Souji's thoughts beforehand and went back to the front of the carriage. Akio was doing this for their sake for he had nothing else to do. And Saburo would have also wanted this.

Souji placed his hand over his eyes and groaned when he felt his eyes staining from his own tears that were about to form. '_Stupid, stupid… Kanon_,' Souji frowned. She was making him worried all over again.

[…^…]

The sun had disappeared from the sky and clouds covered the moon. Kanon had no idea how far she ran. Time passed a little, but it felt so long. She walked hills after hills and her legs were giving in. Falling on her knees, she punched her legs angrily and pulled on the grass around her. Her useless body was changing so much without her knowledge and she blamed the baby. She wanted to punch her belly, but she hesitated many times before. It just seemed too cruel.

'_What am I going to do_?' Kanon felt the tears in her eyes when she closed them. Feeling like an idiot for running off, she wondered who could comfort her. Saburo was always with her and he always did his best to cheer her up. When she opened her eyes, her vision blurred from her watery eyes and then she looked around slowly. '_It's all because of Haru_,' she concluded. But for some reason, Kanon could not bring herself to hate her.

But… was there a reason why Kanon could not find herself to hate her? Kanon knew for sure she blamed Haru for all she done, however…

Kanon lost Ayumu, Yumeko, and Saburo. The people she was so close to, the people who seemed to have been with her just yesterday… they were gone. Kanon had never felt so lonely so much in her entire life. What was Haru trying to do? How could a person be so evil and enjoy all of this pain?

Kanon begun to recall anything about Haru to see if she did something wrong to her in the past. Anything. Since Haru was doing so much to hurt Kanon only to revive her brother. Although, thinking about it again no longer made any sense. Haru could just catch Kanon if she wanted to, right? Why go through so much and to the point to get Kanon pregnant by Yuma? And why Yuma?

The wind seemed dead. Kanon stared into the dark, cloudy sky and her eyes dried from tears.

"_You're annoying."_

That voice from the past made Kanon wonder.

[…^…]

A mile outside of the nameless village, little Kanon was chasing after the little girl with blond hair. They were walking in the tall grasses and the blonde did not look back.

Kanon pouted and called, "Wait for me, Haru! Why must you leave so soon?"

Looking over her right shoulder, little Haru frowned to the other child. "You're annoying, that's why," she glared.

"No, I'm not!" Kanon pouted even more. Her hand reached for Haru's right forearm and Kanon nearly tripped. So, she held onto Haru's right hand and regained her balance by herself. "Whew!" Kanon smiled to herself. "Haru's as strong as a tree! Every time I pull on you, you just stand so still!"

Haru rubbed the bridge of her nose and then paced off. Kanon continued to hold her hand and the two of them strolled through the grass together. "If you keep following me, you're not going to find your way back home," Haru warned.

The brown haired girl giggled, "Eh, it'll be fine!"

"How positive and naïve you are," Haru rolled her eyes to the side.

Kanon walked faster and lead the way in a rush. "I know Ayumu's hiding spot when he cries!" she grinned, slightly looking at Haru's bored expression. "I'll take you there!"

"Wait, Ba-Kanon—" Haru was practically dragged by her, yet she allowed it. There was still time… there was always time. Haru let Kanon take her on a small road and they both went pass many tall trees. Together in the big world surrounding them.

[…^…]

Kanon could only remember that much. She was not even sure if they ever got to Ayumu's hiding place. '_So… Haru thinks I'm annoying, maybe_?' Kanon suddenly felt dumbfounded. '…_Is that why she likes to hurt me so much_?'

Reflecting some more, Kanon rubbed her head to remember about Akiko. She once mentioned revenge was meaningless.

"_Everything happens for a reason."_

Kanon let out a loud sigh and she hit the ground with her right fist. '_That's right_,' Kanon sadly stared at the sky again. '_When Aunt Akiko got sick… she didn't want me to heal her… and then she died that way_…'

That was the most heartbreaking experience Kanon first had. And all of Akiko's words taught her so many things when her parents could not. Kanon cherished Akiko's words… but… what was going to help Kanon and the baby growing inside of her?

Who was going to help her? Should Kanon go and kill Haru or something, after giving birth? Was Kanon even capable of such act? And what would happen to the baby if Kanon sought an unwanted revenge?

Her lips were shaking and she shut them to keep them from making her feel scared. '_Aunt Akiko… I want to make the baby go away_…' she thought bitterly. '_I don't want it_.' She did not need it.

…Maybe drowning would work. But Kanon was too tired to even think about trying it herself. Life was so tiring on her own. She… needed someone. She needed friends by her side.

'_Okay then_,' she took a deep breath, moving to get up. First, she should go find the others who were all blown by the wind. She gasped for just remembering about it. '_I hope everybody is all right_!'

There was no time to even worry about the baby. What if someone was hurt and Kanon had to be there and heal them?

Kanon turned around and wanted to go back to carriage. She twirled some more and walked a little. Which way did she come from? Whining, she cupped her mouth and shouted, "Souji?" Her voice echoed.

"…Kanon!"

With relief, she smiled and jogged to follow his voice. But after a few steps, she stopped and placed her hand over her belly. '_Souji… knows_,' she thought to herself, feeling hesitant to meet with him.

"Kanon!" his voice was getting close. And he did not sound so mad as she thought he would be. She felt he might even tease her because she was irresponsible that night. Yet… he sounded more concerned about her right now when he called her name.

Feeling uncomfortable and stepping backwards, Kanon tried to think up any excuse she could about the baby. But how could she even hope to hide it now? …Perhaps telling the 'truth' would only do. Still, telling Souji a truth may not end well either. …Since she knew he liked her.

"Ughhhhh," Kanon slapped her cheeks with her eyes shut. '_What am I going to tell Souji? Something like, "I wasn't raped or anything" or what?!_' Her nerves were getting restless all over and when Souji called her name louder, she literally jumped. She had to think fast before he comes!

"Kanon, answer me!" he exclaimed, but still calmly.

She opened her eyes and smiled uneasily. Currently, his figure was down the hill and his hands were reaching out to find his way around. Akio was not with him, which made Kanon wonder why Souji was alone. She rushed back to reality and saw Souji was now walking toward her. "S-Stop right there!" she uttered, blushing a little.

With a frown, he slowed down and then paused in his tracks. He slightly turned his head, trying to figure exactly where she was. "Kanon…" he voiced annoyingly. "If you think you can run away—"

"I-I didn't get raped or anything!" she chose to say. Yet, she sounded so unconfident. It seemed Souji did not believe her when he grunted. Giving in easily, Kanon could not even find any other good excuses. "I… um… well…" Souji walked forward and she cringed as she lowered her eyes. "It… uh…"

"It was Yuma, wasn't it?"

Kanon lifted up her head right away and her eyes were widened with shock. He was still walking to her, but slowed down even more. "H-How did you know?" she inquired.

"Do I look stupid to you, Kanon?" he scowled. She bit her lower lip and then she touched her stomach gently. "I had _plenty_ of time to think when you were unconscious, you know," Souji said, approaching closer.

And how else would it explain Kanon's sudden physical change? It was the conclusion Souji only had as he had remembered the day Kanon was shielding Yuma from Souji's katana.

Hearing her breathing, Souji knew she was in front of him and his hand rested on her left shoulder. She looked at him and could not tell his expression since he had the blindfold. But his lips were more than enough to know he was composed. "…We shouldn't have drunk that night… Saburo and I…"

She felt the tears behind her eyes when he brought up Saburo's name. Slapping his hand away from her shoulder, she blamed, "It was my own fault. Not yours or anyone else…" And that was a fact.

"No, the fault lies with that bitch, Haru," Souji's voice became threatening. He turned his head to the right and felt himself glaring. "And Yuma's."

"But it's not his fault," Kanon eyed him as her heart was beating fast. She did not blame Yuma. "Haru made him and—"

Souji raised his voice, "I don't understand why you're standing up for him _again_!" She gave him a puzzled expression and his hand grabbed for her right arm. "What is wrong with you, Kanon? No one should get away with _touching_ you!"

She furrowed her eyebrows at his unreasonable words. "Haru was controlling him, Souji!" she tried to pull her arm away. But Souji grasped it harder and gritted his teeth. "Why would I blame him for doing something he apologized for? And this conversation is getting awkwardddd."

"That's it?" Souji demanded. "Because he apologized?" She winced and hit his hand with her other. Souji had a short moment of pausing, ignoring her hitting him over and over. "Wait… When did he apologize to you?"

'_Shit, I can't tell Souji the details_,' Kanon shut her mouth. And she just kept hitting him.

Whereas Souji hurried to cool his head, he still held onto her and no one said anything. Then he gave her a firm shake and she stopped hitting with a pout he could not see. "Okay, calm down for sec," he grumbled. He could always get the answers out of her later.

"Yeah, _you_ calm down," she concurred, twisting her arm around to get it back. He slowly let her go and she rubbed her arm almost stubbornly while taking a step back. She made a pained expression and stuck her tongue at him. He did nothing and was just standing there, cooling his head off. Kanon now blinked a couple of times and noted the blindfold. "…Did you hurt yourself?"

Souji touched the cloth over his right eye and grumbled. "Saburo did this to prevent me from interfering with his… _heroic_ act," Souji spoke quietly. There was silence and he wondered if Kanon was depressed yet again.

The moment he lowered his hand from his head, he felt her fingers softly touching over his forehead and a warm glow emitted. He did not flinch or move from her tender touch. A slight moment later, Souji was now reminded about him being a Rasetsu, who should have the ability to regenerate by themselves. Was it really because of Kanon's power? But why and how?

When her fingers retreated with the warmth, Souji untied the cloth around his head and let it fall down his face slowly. His eyes were still closed and he unfolded them steadily as if he would hurt his eyes if opened too suddenly. He saw Kanon was standing in front of him, but faced to the right with a worried look. The wind was slow and faint, however her long hair was flying off of her back like a veil. Then he directed his view down to her belly, in which she covered with her arms purposely.

"…Are you afraid?" he inquired, standing where he was. Her lips moved from a pout to quavering. "Do you know why your… _child_ is growing so fast?" Kanon shook her head 'no' and avoid looking at him directly. Souji narrowed his eyes and slightly tilted his head with demand. "Then… do you want Yuma… or me?"

Just faintly, Kanon blushed at his words and tried not to think about it. She felt it was not necessary to even respond to it. She even wanted to say 'I want no one.' But he was just waiting and standing there, it made her heart race. Her arms around her tightened and the silence was killing her.

"You do know I like you, right?" he murmured, observing at every inch of her face for any kind of reaction. She merely nodded honestly, which should speed things up for Souji. "If you want me, I'll stay with you. Forever if you want."

Kanon finally gave him a look, but she was frowning. "You didn't even ask me if I like you or not," she remarked, sulking a bit.

He smirked, "Do you want me to ask that?"

"No," she quickly said, averting her eyes again. She was not sure yet. And she rather not know. After all, there was still Haru out there.

Seeing as she was being stubborn, Souji moved forward and walked around her. At the same moment, he grabbed her hand and dragged her over the hill. She was surprised at his sudden gesture, but before she could utter a word, he promised, "I'll stay with you, Kanon."

Walking ahead of her, she was unable to see his expression. Only the back of his head. Yet, the tone of his voice convinced her enough. His fingers moved to lock around her own and he gently tugged her. She walked with ease, but he made sure he was leading as they walked over another hill.

"…Can the others stay with me too?" Kanon asked, lowering her head with feelings of uncertainties.

Annoyed, Souji flattened his expression. Having the 'others' must mean Sanosuke and them. It was not like he would object though. Souji tried not to sigh and blinked when Kanon tightened her grip on his hand. He smiled to himself and paced slower and she caught up by his side. "As long as you only want me, then yes, the others can stay with you too," Souji softly told her.

For unknown reasons, Kanon felt so fortunate. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of loss her friends and gaining new ones along the way. Why was life like this? Why could she not keep all of them? When Souji saw her teardrops, he stopped walking and faced her. Her head was lowered as she said, "Thank you, Souji…"

He hated seeing her sad and her tears. Bringing up the hand he held, he kissed the back of her hand while their fingers were still between each other. Was this gesture comforting enough, he wondered? She leaned toward him and he wrapped the other hand around her shoulder to embrace her. Just when he thought this would at least last a minute, she suddenly pushed him away and looked a bit startled. Souji's mouth dropped at her, "What?"

"Sorry—no hugs." She appeared timid about something and wiped her tears with her hands, which she had snatched away from his reach when she pushed him away.

Souji childishly leaned to her, "And why not, Kanon? You came to me _first_."

She glared up at him and pushed his leaned head away. "B-Because being that close reminds me about… er… that night… with… you know…" she uneasily tried to explain. And the more she said it, the more she lowered her head.

"Hmm," Souji raised an eyebrow. "…Are you saying you're suffering from a trauma?"

"I'm… not sure," she shrugged, wrapping herself again to keep her warm. The wind felt colder now. How long were they here?

Crossing his arms over his chest, Souji remembered something. "Before we left Saburo… you hugged him from behind, didn't you?" he pointed out as gently as possible. Kanon lifted up her head and seemed to just realize it too. "What's the difference between _him_ and _me_?"

There was no need to think for Kanon refused to find out the answer herself. "I don't know, leave me alone!" she turned away and rushed off by herself.

He frowned disapprovingly. But then he grinned. With his green eyes glowing, he let the wind carry Kanon off of her feet and threw her over to him, which he held out his arms and she landed in them. "_Now_ I see why you didn't want me to know my power many times before," he chuckled, walking off while carrying her.

Kanon was blushing and struggled to get down. "Souji, wait, let me down!" she demanded. He was not listening and she swore she would poke his eyes out, but then she covered her mouth when she started to feel like vomiting.

"You're pregnant, so it's only natural for me to do this," he teased with a smirk to her. She closed her eyes and looked unwell. "…Kanon?"

She groaned and cringed with her hands on her stomach. A black glow surrounded her body yet again and Souji called her name worryingly, but she could not hear him clearly after that. '_What the hell is wrong with this baby_?' she cursed in her thoughts. She panted through the pain and the air seemed to have gotten colder. '_Yuma… I should find Yuma and ask him about… this_…'

"Kanon!" Souji lowered her down on the ground. She had fallen unconscious and he shook her once while the black glow vanished without a single trace. "Kanon, hey! Can you hear me?" She did not respond and he narrowed his eyebrows with a sweat running down his face.

There was no time to question. Picking her back up, he rushed over the hills, heading back to where he had told Akio to wait.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	32. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: Yay, I was able to update this within 2-3 days! XD Now, I hope I can update again after 5 days or something. (^.~) Sorry for any obvious mistakes you see! Enjoy reading!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 28**

The next quiet morning, Haru was having a peaceful breakfast with Chizuru and Shinpachi. They were just in a small room where they felt more at ease in. When Haru picked up her chopsticks with her left hand to start eating, Shinpachi frowned, "How many times do I have to say it, Haru-chan?"

She looked at him and he was pouting. They were just next to each other while Chizuru was across from them, giggling at the man. Shinpachi picked up Haru's bowl of rice and took her chopsticks from her fingers.

"Either have me or Chizuru-chan help you eat," Shinpachi eyed her almost shyly.

Haru smirked and he picked up the rice with the chopsticks childishly. '_You keep saying that, but you're always blushing_,' she wanted to say as she chuckled at the thought. Haru opened her mouth and Shinpachi begun to feed her.

As the two continued the same process, Chizuru's eyes lowered bit by bit to Haru's right arm. Chizuru did not know why, but Haru's hand was missing under the sleeve. Not being an expert though, Chizuru could sort of tell her right hand was chopped off by a blade before. Chizuru could not help it but stare and wonder every time. It was disturbing to think who could have done so much to Haru, who seemed to be quite a harmless Oni.

Haru could write a little to communicate with Chizuru and Shinpachi, but she does not wish to carry ink and paper with her every time. So, she just gestures around to request what she needed.

During midway of finishing up breakfast, Haru slightly looked away and Shinpachi blinked at her. '_What is it, Kuroro_?' Haru asked in her mind.

'_I'm just sitting here and wondering_…' a boy's voice said.

Haru smiled, which confused Shinpachi. She patted on his head and he frowned and they both continued eating together. '_About what_?' Haru inquired.

There was no emotion in the boy's voice when he responded, '_I'm a bit shocked that you're not afraid to have everyone hate you for what you're doing. I know this was our decision… however, the blame is _all_ on you_.'

'_Oh, what everyone thinks doesn't bother me at all_,' Haru smiled wider. When Shinpachi fed her a thin layer of meat, she opened her mouth and he offered it to her. '_But I do worry for Kanon hating me forever_…'

'_Why is that_?' Kuroro curiously questioned.

Wiping her lips softly, Haru mentally told him, '_Because she called me her friend_.' And Haru did horrible things to Kanon and she would continue to.

'_Kanon won't hate you any time soon_,' Kuroro stated, as if he was reminding her about something. '_Akiko-san not only sealed Kanon's full power, but also the hate inside Kanon_.'

Haru already knew that. She lowered her eyes and breathed slowly. "Haru-chan?" Shinpachi tilted his head at her. "Are you full?"

She nodded and toned Shinpachi's voice out right after. '_Do you think Kanon's hate will come back if we_…' she trailed off in her sentence and just smiled. '_No. Never mind_.' There was no point in asking. Haru must remember this was the path she had chosen.

Recalling the gentle face of Akiko, Haru remembered that woman was always so caring toward Kanon as if she was her own daughter. Sealing Kanon's hate was Akiko's own personal wish, which was unaware by Kanon herself. Haru raised her eyes to Shinpachi and Chizuru, who were now talking to each other and smiling at each other.

This scene would not last forever. Haru's lips curled upward and she knew she would have to bid her farewell to the two of them eventually… and they would certainly be upset with her when they learn the truth what she had been up to.

'_I am meant to lose friends_,' Haru understood calmly. '_Kanon, Chizuru, and Shinpachi_…' People had always preferred to leave her in the end. And she was mentally prepared for it. She was already used to being hated by humans and Onis alike as well. As long as no one pitied her, which she detested, Haru could still live without anyone's aid.

[…^…]

"Hey, Amagiri," Kyou called with the wave of his hand.

The two Onis were awake all night, watching over the two sleeping humans who had yet awoken by the sunlight. Sanosuke and Hajime must have been very tired. They both lay across from each other, which a campfire was between the two. At first, Hajime objected to the idea of lighting up a fire in the night for he felt the enemy could ambush them, but Kyou mentioned he would not allow anything like that to happen. Therefore, the two humans slept by the warm fire and were fast asleep last night.

Kyuuju glanced back and checked behind Kyou's walking figure to see if the humans were disturbed by the other Oni's voice. Since they were far enough from hearing range, Kyuuju looked away and asked, "Yes, Shiranui?"

When Kyou was at his side, his hands were on his hips and his eyes to the taller Oni. "How did you meet Haru?" Kyou inquisitively questioned. It was something on his mind for a long time now, but he never gotten the chance to ask.

"It was after Kazama became a stray Oni," he answered without much thought. Kyou nodded slowly as Kyuuju continued saying, "When I left him, I planned on returning home… however, along the way, Haru-san approached me. That was the moment she casted her mind control on me."

"That's quite some time ago then," Kyou rubbed his chin, furrowing his eyebrows. In truth, he wanted to try to think about the matter a little more. But with no clues to go on about… "Oh," Kyou lifted up his head and snapped his fingers. "Why don't you head back to your home and ask about Haru? You live with Kazama, don't you? And Haru was married to Kazama's little brother, yes? Maybe someone there may know something that we don't."

Kyuuju's expression remained unfazed and stayed the same. "…What if home is no longer a place to return to?" he asked, but more to himself. "What if Haru-san had already used her power over the Onis clans? She did murder Kazama's sibling, but what of the aftermath? What could she have done when we were not around?"

"Ah, true," Kyou scowled, kicking up dirt for a second. He sighed and frowned while glancing around the emptied forest. A white and black butterfly fluttered a few meters away and was gone behind a tree. "Man, it's like… we can't trust anyone…"

"Correct," Kyuuju had observed. "That is why it is best to regroup with Saitou's friends in Edo. Harada mentioned it last night, do you remember?"

Sneering, Kyou did not look at him. "Of course I do," he smirked. "Whatever Harada says, goes."

[…^…]

With her head bobbing down, Kosuzu snapped her eyes awake. The first thing she searched for was Ryunosuke, who was laying on her right. She had slept by his side the whole night. He was sleeping soundly and even snored a little. As she moved to sit up, she smiled with relief at his healthy face. Then she wrapped herself in her arms from shivering. She had no time for making a fire for she could not bear to leave him alone. So, she simply stayed close to him for warmth and hoped he felt her warmth during the cold night.

Grass rustled interrupted her peaceful morning. Kosuzu hurried up on her feet and her eyes followed the sounds. It was coming closer and she walked around a tree carefully.

"Oh, it's you again." Her eyes met the gaze of a man with the black eye patch, who was only about twenty-five meters away. She stared at him, trying to remember where she had seen him before and he was smiling as he stopped walking. He rubbed the back of his head. "Boy, oh boy, this is actually good. I walked all night and I finally found one of you by chance," he smiled politely, sensing she was putting up her guard.

Kosuzu blinked and then recalled his face as well the tone of his lax voice. "You're that man from the hospital," she let out a small smile. What were the chances of _meeting_ him here?

"My name is Ren," he introduced himself, keeping himself at safe distance. He wanted to be friendly, but he wanted to warn her first. "And I'm with Yuma. And I think we're friends with Hajime still…"

There was a pause. She slowly backed away before inquiring, "Are you…?"

He raised his hand, smiling a little. "I am no longer in Haru's mind control anymore," he told her.

It would have been better if he never mentioned it at all… yet did he want to gain her trust first by being aware of his identity? What should she do now? With a single question, she asked, "Is there something you want?"

"I want to find Haru," Ren replied, folding his arms to his chest. He became serious and slightly looked at the sky for a moment. "Yuma's on his way to find Kanon and they might search out for Haru by then. But I have no idea where to even start…" With a grin, he looked at Kosuzu and winked. "Which is why I want to ask, may I stick with you?"

Carefully, Kosuzu read his expression. He seemed honest enough. And there were not any of those red light anywhere, therefore if he tried anything she would not hold back from using her super strength to stop him. '_Unless he has a hidden power_,' she wanted to note, staring at Ren for a long time

Ren chuckled, which caused her to flinch. "I won't harm a little girl," he assure with a firm nod. She smiled and seemed not so worried about it. "Shouldn't we get going though? I'm concerned about Yuma."

"Oh," she looked back. Walking off, she said, "But Ryunosuke's still asleep."

"There's another person here?" Ren blinked a couple of times. He walked forward and eventually went around the tree and saw her picking Ryunosuke up to make him lean back against the tree. "Yikes, he hurt his head? I hope he doesn't get amnesia."

Kosuzu eyed him with disapproval and he just chuckled right back. "First, we must take him to a doctor," she said softly. "Do you know where we are?"

Ren shrugged, "Not exactly, since I'm not really from Japan… so I don't know the names of cities, but I do remember seeing a town north of here when I walked around."

"You are not from Japan?" she stared with her eyes widened. "Are you… a foreigner?"

Lazily, he smirked as if it was something he rather not talk about. "Something like that, sure," he nodded to her. "…I'm half-Japanese, who worked as an assassin." Opening up to the others was the first step to trust each other. That was Ren thought. Therefore, he could only hope this girl can put her trust in someone like him.

[…^…]

The rocky ground woke Kanon up. When she opened her eyes, she realized her head was on Souji's lap and he looked down to her. He seemed relieved and she asked, "How long was I out?"

"The whole night," he replied, his hand smoothing down her hair. He was up all night and watching over her too. Not only him though, because Akio stayed awake and kept an eye out for any possible enemies.

She felt awkward when he touched her hair, but she remained where she was. Her head felt heavy and her whole body felt exhausted. "Where are we?" she inquired, her eyes moving about.

Souji lifted up his head and looked over to Akio. The carriage stopped and Akio glanced back. "We just arrived in a town," Akio notified.

Before anyone moved, Kanon sat up. Her eyes now lay over to Little Fukui. Since he was within reach, she wasted no time and touched his fingers. The white light emitted from her body and then glowed around the child's body. Akio stared and was just stunned. Souji watched the pale face of the boy becoming more alive. As the light faded away, Kanon seemed to pant and Souji grabbed her shoulder.

"Are you all right, Kanon?" he questioned.

She turned her head to nod at him. "Yeah," she replied. Her gaze went back to Little Fukui. "He should be good now… but it may take time for him to wake up…"

Souji smiled and could not help but feel thankful for her power once more. He would not have the boy dead either since he was still so young. There was still a future for the boy. "We'll take care of him in the meantime then," Souji said, moving out the back and getting off the carriage.

Akio had already done the same and he went to pat on the heads of the horses gently. "You two must be hungry," he murmured with a concerned expression. The horses softly grunted, accepting the older man's touch. Akio then looked to Souji, who walked around the carriage. "Should we head to the hospital first?" he questioned. He was still surprised with Kanon's power. It was really handy.

While Souji stretched, Kanon peeked her head out the front of the carriage. "Yeah," Souji nodded away, his eyes scanning their surroundings. The houses seemed sturdy and a few people walked the streets to tend their business. A brown furred cat strolled by the fences of the town too. "Then we can get something to eat afterwards," Souji decided for them, his eyes looking to Akio.

"Why are we going to the hospital for?" Kanon frowned at them. Both men eyed her seriously and she sensed they were worried about her. "Me? Are you guys saying I need to see a doctor? What for?"

Souji pointed at her and she blinked with confusion. "We're going to make sure you're healthy," he smirked a bit. "You're pregnant, remember?"

Slightly blushing, she said, "So what?"

"You can't heal yourself from that."

She shut her mouth and tried to think of something to counter him. However, Akio took the reins and lead the horses and the carriage down the street. "Just sit back and let the man take care of you," Akio uttered rather sincerely.

Kanon narrowed her eyebrows as Souji walked beside the moving carriage. He smiled at her and she gave him a pout. "You're so calm about this, aren't you?" she commented with disbeliefs. "When did you become understanding, Souji?" He never once freaked out about her or even teased her, so it puzzled her a little.

At the back of his mind, he was hiding something. And he refused to show it to her, so he just smiled. "Because you come first," he only told her.

She still did not believe him, but for now she let it slid. Her eyes avert from his smile and she suggested, "Can't we just find an inn? I don't want to sleep in a hospital since we don't have money to pay for any fees… right?"

Akio nodded, "Then we shall look for an inn. Following that, the Souji guy can go find a doctor for you."

"It's Okita Souji," the green-eyed man noted with a chuckle.

"Okita it is," Akio merely nodded. "I am Yamamoto Akio."

"Yamamoto-san," Souji smirked at the older man's back.

Kanon blinked and slowly pointed to herself, "You can call me Kanon, Akio."

"And you will be calling _me_ Yamamoto," Akio corrected her, looking over his shoulder to her. He lightly glared and she smiled uneasily. "Do not address me by my first name."

"Why not?" she asked, lowering her pointing finger.

Souji snickered, "Isn't it obvious, Kanon?" He looked at her playfully and mentioned, "People only call each other by their first names if they're very familiar with one another."

She instantly said, "But you and I aren't familiar with each other, Souji."

"That's because you _like_ me," he grinned. She grimaced at him and decided to ignore the subject. "Come on, admit it, Kanon," he pressed teasingly.

Whereas she raised an eyebrow, she mumbled to herself rather clearly, "Why would I like you anyway?" Souji frowned right away at her thought. "There's nothing good about you… and all I can recall was the times we fight."

Just when Souji was going to remind her about the kiss he planted on her cheek and on the back of her hand, and wanting to ask her if she even felt a thing during those times, Akio loudly announced, "Here's the inn."

"That was fast," Souji fixed his eyes to the right. The two-story inn seemed small, but welcoming. The wood of the building seemed stable and there was almost no dust on every inch of the inn.

"Oh," Kanon suddenly giggled. "Souji's white hair is the only good thing so far." Souji glanced to her and she continued to giggle with her head lowered. He smiled with a sigh and just shook his head at her.

'_White hair_?' Akio raised an eyebrow, slightly looking over to the two of them. Now, he recalled about Souji's unusual transformation. It was the same as those creatures that they had fought against yesterday. Was Souji connected to them somehow? Akio was very confused, but decided not to show it and just go with the flow. '_If Saburo-sama entrusted them to me, I won't ask_,' Akio turned his head away and waited.

Souji held out a hand to Kanon and she blinked at it. "Come on down," he was smiling.

She had a pause, but took his hand and she moved out of the carriage. He gripped on her hand as she jumped a little and her feet landed safely on the ground. "Gah," she quickly covered her mouth.

"Feeling ill again?" Souji lowered his head to meet her eyes with slight concern. He let her hand go during that second.

Nodding, she desired, "I need to go to the restroom…" Her eyes lifted up to meet his gaze and he looked like he wanted to go with her. "No, you stay here and get Little Fukui to bed. The restroom shouldn't be too far inside the inn anyway."

He frowned a bit and backed away. "Fine," he shrugged, twirling on one foot. Then he went to the carriage to get Little Fukui.

Kanon moved toward Akio and she looked up at the older man, who seemed taller than last time. "Thanks for taking us here," she smiled.

"There's no need to thank me," Akio said, sighing down to her. She tilted her head with a small pout. "I am simply doing this for Saburo-sama."

"I still got to thank you either way," she smiled wider. Patting on his arm, she turned toward the front door of the inn and went in first.

Akio watched her back quietly and then dusted his arm slowly. He was just not used to physical contact with strangers. Especially with a young woman. That was all, really. She seemed nice, so he waited until she was gone to brush his arm.

[…^…]

By the time Kanon came back from the restroom and entering the lobby, she only saw Akio waiting by another hallway. There was one older woman too and she behind the front counter and she was calculating as she mumbled behind a book.

Kanon approached Akio and asked, "Where's Souji and Little Fukui?"

He had his arms crossed and he was leaning back against the wall. When he looked at her, she stood in front of him and she was looking around. "Okita had put the kid behind this door," Akio informed her. "And he went out just a moment ago. He didn't say where he was going."

She narrowed her eyebrows and breathed out a sigh. "I'm getting hungry, so he better be back soon," she remarked in a harsh tone. But instead of waiting, she walked away from Akio. "I'm going to see if he's outside then."

"I'll be here," Akio called to her.

She waved as to show her gratitude to him and exited through the front door. The sun felt so nice and warm, so she stretched her arms to enjoy it for a second. Upon hearing voices, she instantly knew they belonged to Souji. It was just around to her right and she rushed over the grass to follow the voice. Then there was another voice, which made her pause in her steps.

It sounded like Yuma.

Picking up her feet, she ran around the corner of the building and she just caught the sight of Souji unsheathing his katana. In which he had just swiftly stabbed it through Yuma's chest, close to his heart.

"Souji!" Kanon exclaimed with a scowl. She could only see Souji's back and a little bit of the right side of his face. He was smirking to Yuma and his eyes lusted to kill.

As for Yuma, who appeared to not have bothered to dodge the blade, his eyes were calm at first and he did not look over to Kanon. The moment when Kanon cried out, Yuma's eyes became a glare and he only focused them on Souji, who still held the tip of the katana into his chest. Blood spilled down his chest and Yuma showed no pain. Only anger. Or was it something else? Yuma's eyes were filled with mix feelings, but definitely anger.

And what just happened between the two of them? Why was Yuma suddenly here of all places?

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	33. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 29**

It was only a few minutes ago when Souji had rested Little Fukui on the single futon in the room of the inn. Covering the boy up with the blanket, Souji observed the child's condition. The kid was breathing and it seemed he would be getting his health back soon enough. Souji smiled and patted on the boy's forehead and then ruffled with his short black hair.

"Yamamoto-san."

Akio was by the door and he looked to Souji. "Yes?"

Getting up from the ground with his hands on his hips, Souji gazed to him and inquired, "Did you harm the boy's family?"

"I would never do anything as low such as that," Akio replied with his eyes closed. "I simply took the boy when he was running about. Haru said she wanted him and that was simply what I did."

"So, you just _took_ him?" Souji raised an eyebrow. "Without asking Haru why?"

Akio steadily opened his eyes and kept his eyes on the ground. "I trusted her," he could only said.

Souji scoffed, "I guess you'll listen to anyone, huh?"

"That's the reason for my very existence, yes," Akio nodded to himself.

With a frown, Souji ignored him and his eyes glanced to the window. "Well, as long as Little Fukui's family is safe, then you can be forgiven," Souji smirked a bit. While Akio said nothing more, Souji saw a shadow out the window. The shadow made it obvious and walked by silently. Souji felt no danger from it, but his guts were telling him another thing.

Akio lifted up his chin as Souji walked by him without a word. He did not ask where the green-eyed man was going and just moved to close the door to the room behind him.

Out of the inn, Souji walked to the right side of the building and eventually saw Yuma standing firmly about twenty meters away. He seemed to be waiting with a composed expression, holding his sword in his right hand and the blade was up against his arm. In that moment, Souji could only feel himself wanting to kill him.

"What are you doing here?" Souji questioned, approaching him.

When Souji stopped about a few feet in front of the silverhead, Yuma stared at him quietly. "I'm here to see Kanon," Yuma replied coolly.

The way Yuma used her first name only ticked Souji off more. "She's busy," Souji told him, smirking. He leaned his weight on his right leg and stated, "And she doesn't want to see you. Ever."

"It's important," Yuma insisted, still calm about facing him.

"So?" Souji snickered. His hand ran down the handle of his katana and Yuma seemed unfazed by Souji's gesture. "I don't care how important it is. You _touched_ Kanon." Yuma's eyes quivered and he offered no other response. "And if I said no, you _can't_ see her. Get out of my face." The sooner the better because Souji was having the urge to strike Yuma down. The only reason why he was holding back was for Kanon.

With his eyes lowered for a mere second, Yuma sighed. He felt responsible and only deserved to be treated like this by this human. Then he looked to green-eyed man one more time and more determinedly. And he politely continued to say, "Let me see Kanon."

He _said_ her name again. And Souji snapped.

Yuma kept his eyes on Souji's intensive gaze. The unsheathing sound of the katana was heard and Yuma stood perfectly still. The grip of Souji's right hand on his katana was quick and he pierced into Yuma's chest, purposely over the heart.

"Souji!" Kanon's sudden voice shouted angrily.

The green-eyed man ignored her and merely smirked to Yuma. Souji then noticed the calm emotion in Yuma's eyes changed to bitterness. And then Yuma's lips moved to say, "Oh… So, you are Souji?"

With a flash of the blade that reflected the sunlight in Souji's eyes, Yuma had stabbed his own sword into Souji's chest, over his heart as well. Souji winced, but he did not back away. And both men glared at each other silently.

"Souji," Yuma murmured, his eyes glued to the other man's gaze. '_The name of the man Kanon kept calling for that night_…'

"It's Okita Souji," the green eyes burned to the silver eyes of the Oni.

Yuma calmed himself down slowly. "…I'm Kuromori Yuma," he introduced himself.

Between the two, Kanon appeared and rose up her arm up under both blades. She wanted to injure herself underneath the sharp edges, hoping to get their senses back together, but then the two men quickly withdrew their weapons and backed off. "What are you _two_ doing?!" Kanon glared at them back and forth, her right hand resting on her hip. If she had her weapons, which were probably still in the carriage, she would have used them to stop the two men somehow.

Souji glared at her, "And what were you doing, did you want to cut yourself?"

Out of nowhere, Kanon did an uppercut under Souji's chin, which forced him to take a few steps back from her sudden blow. However, at the same time as she hit him, she had used her healing power to fix his wound inflicted by Yuma too. While Souji's wound stopped bleeding, Kanon eyed to Yuma. His own wound was healing by itself and steam hissed the place where Souji stabbed him.

"Kanon," Yuma looked at her quietly.

Feeling chills around her body when he voiced her name, she looked away and tried to gather her thoughts first. While she did that, Souji stepped forward and said to Yuma, "See, she _doesn't_ want to see you."

Yuma glared to Souji again, no longer feeling courteous to the human. "I am _not_ talking to you," Yuma told him.

As Souji narrowed his eyebrows, moving forward again, Kanon backed up against him and pushed him back. "K-Kanon," Souji frowned, trying to get her out of the way.

"I have questions for this man," Kanon stated, elbowing Souji. The two stopped pushing each other and Souji was grew silent. She did not look at him and kept her eyes on Yuma. "…Can we talk inside?"

The silverheaded Oni nodded directly to her, "Of course…"

Souji clicked his tongue and turned in his place and walked away first. He really disapproved of having Yuma around. What was there to talk about? Shortly, Souji realized it must be about the baby. …_Their_ child… Souji bit his lower lip and rushed out of there as fast as he could. He wanted to storm off, but he desired to stay and listen to what was happening with Kanon. And Yuma might have the answers.

Kanon was staring at Souji's back and when he was gone around the corner, she sighed. "What a kid," she mumbled with a pout. Understanding what was going through Souji's mind, she could not help but want to console him. Directing her gaze to the Oni, she saw he was just standing there and waiting for her to lead. "…Let's go," she stepped away.

Quietly, he called her name again, "Kanon." She stopped after her second step and kept her back faced to him. "…I _am_ sorry. About Ayumu… about everything."

She nodded without much thought. "It's fine," she told him. She never blamed him. Not even for a second. And then she slowly led the way as Yuma followed her.

In the inn, Akio slightly turned his head when he took notice of Souji's footsteps. The green-eyed man walked by and roughly opened the door to the room. He walked in with a bitter expression, which left Akio wondering what was going on this time.

When Kanon showed up with Yuma trailing behind her, Akio's eyes slightly widened. "Yuma…?" Akio leaned away from the wall to face them.

"Oh," Kanon blinked. She stopped by Akio and looked back to Yuma. "That's right, you two worked together for Haru before…"

"Something like that," Yuma nodded and then eyed to Akio to regard him. "It is good to see you are doing well, Akio."

The older man smiled a little. "I could say the same to you," he responded. "…Were you under Haru's mind control too? Or are you in control of your own body now?" He was asking since he did not know what was Yuma's condition. And as Yuma seemed to be with Kanon as an ally, Akio felt it was safe to have Yuma around.

"Let us discuss about it in the room," Yuma suggested, glancing to Kanon.

While she nodded, Akio realized about their surroundings. "Right," Akio agreed.

Kanon entered the room first and noticed Souji had sat to the far right, leaning back against the wall. His eyes looked elsewhere and he seemed really comfortable from where he was sitting at. And he was completely quiet. Kanon pouted at Souji's expressionless face and then went to Little Fukui's side to sit by him.

As Yuma stepped into the room, Akio walked in as well and closed the door afterward. Kanon watched Yuma sitting across from her, with Little Fukui in the middle and Akio remained by the door while he stood.

Yuma quickly cut to the chase and said, "Yes. I have been under Haru's control for at least three years, but I did not know of it until a few months ago. She recently released her mind control over me—"

"Okay, I don't care about that," Kanon honestly remarked, narrowing her eyes. She patted on her belly and Yuma was trying to be as calm as possible. But he looked guilty again. "Will you tell me why _this_ is growing so fast? I might not know a lot about child birth, but Aunt Akiko told me stuff like this too."

'…_Akiko_?' the name crossed Akio's mind. He was staring at Kanon and repeated the name in his head again.

Souji's eyes were cold and he simply kept quiet as the conversation commenced.

"As you know, I am an Oni," Yuma started to explain, keeping his eye contact with Kanon. He did not wish to look away and he wanted to tell her everything.

He started off with his Oni clan. The same one that had cursed her family line in the beginning. Kanon was shocked and listened closely to his every word. Even Souji was surprised at how small the world was. Akio was caught between confusion and doubts while Yuma mentioned about his own family. And how the baby would take Kanon's life soon.

"How soon?" Souji scowled, glaring to Yuma.

The silverhead now lowered his eyes and Kanon feared the worst. "I have heard it would take at least four months," Yuma told them. "However… Kanon… it almost looked like you're already at the fourth-month stage. The progress is _too_ fast." Yuma had noticed the growth of the baby seemed to have changed suddenly from the last time he saw Kanon too.

"And do you know why?" Kanon pressed for answers. Her hands seemed to be shaking, so she clenched them into fists to stop it.

"Unfortunately, no," Yuma replied, quietly gazing at her.

Souji then said, "Then there's no use for you to be here anymore."

"Shut up, Souji," Kanon murmured without looking at him. Once more, Souji clicked his tongue and fixed his eyes to the wall where Akio was. "Is there a way we can stop it?" Kanon inquired the Oni in front of her.

When he nodded, she was almost relieved. "We can only slow the process and we may be able to save both of the lives of you and our—the child," Yuma said, but his sentence broke at the end. And it made his avoid meeting anyone's eyes. There was no place for him to say it was _their_ child.

"I don't want the baby though," Kanon told him, still determined on the idea. Yuma's eyes widened as he continued to stare at the ground on his left.

Akio then voiced, "Kanon-san, you must keep the child. Do not even entertain the thought of abandoning it."

"But I _don't_ want it," she stated again, closing her eyes tightly. She truly did not ask for it in the first place. Life was still a long way before becoming a mother. And Kanon did not desire to experience having a child so soon.

The room was quiet and Souji glanced to her for a moment. "…Kanon, don't forget, I'll be there for you," he reminded with a softer voice.

Slightly, Yuma glared over to him. Behind his thoughts, he considered about being the one to say _that_ to Kanon. Yuma had even wanted to be the father who would not abandon her either. But Okita Souji… What _is_ he to Kanon? Did the two of them already decided to stay together?

"I'm the father," Yuma chose to say with a serious expression.

Souji smirked as a response. And he asked, "Are you saying you have feelings for Kanon?" Yuma stared at him between the moments of pause. "Because I already promised to be with her. And she _agreed_."

The room felt ill with Souji's harsh words. Kanon sighed loudly to get their attention. "We're still talking about how to stop the baby from growing fast, remember?" she furrowed her eyebrows to the two men. She hated having to hear and see them stared each other down like that. What was more important to them? Fighting over her or her life that was clearly on the line?

"First," Yuma easily got himself together and his calm, cool eyes gazed to the girl. "There is another family who came from my Oni clan." Kanon's eyes brightened up at the news, wondering if this was a good thing. "They carry the same family name as mine and their powers were meant to stop your own, Kanon."

"Their powers were meant to stop mine…?" Kanon quietly questioned, showing her confusion through her blue eyes.

Nodding, he explained further, "However, because that certain family had decided to go against our ways and to marry humans… their family was cursed as a result." Everyone did not respond and kept on listening curiously. Yuma closed his eyes and understood the pain of those who were cursed by his family line. "Their punishment for leaving the Kuromori Clan behind… the curse that had befallen on them… is when the men of their clan reach at the age of twenty, their age will be reversed. They will return back into children over the years and then to… nothingness."

"Why at the age of twenty?" Souji inquired. Kanon frowned at his question since it sounded unnecessary.

Yuma did not glance at him, but he answered, "Because the one who was the first to decide about leaving was an twenty-year-old Oni. Other than that, I am not confident of the other reasons why or how the cursed worked."

"Alright, next question," Kanon raised her hand. Her chest felt heavy, but she was glad the conversation was going somewhere. "Do you know anyone from that side of the family, Yuma? Is there a reason why you're talking about them?"

There was a long pause. And then Akio frowned at her, "Why must you call everyone by their first names?"

Kanon pouted, now understanding why there was a pause just now. "Why not?" she countered, still pouting and at the older man by the door.

"You're being disrespectful," Akio calmly noted for her.

"I am not!" she raised her voice childishly. "Why are you afraid of being close? _That_ must be your problem!"

"What did you just say, lass?" Akio narrowed his eyes at her.

Yuma raised a hand and it somehow got their minds back on the subject they were supposed to keep on discussing about. The Oni remained focused as he mentioned, "I know one man who is from the branch family that was cursed by my clan. His name is Kuromori Hibiki."

[…^…]

Everything was dark. But a voice angrily rose and a scene appeared around her. This was something she wanted to forget, but it kept on haunting her.

"You bitch! Its no wonder nii-sama let me marry you! You're a Tainted Oni!"

He strangled her with his hands grasped around her throat, holding her down on the ground as he sat over her. She choked and wanted air, her fingers clawing into his forearms. But she was powerless the moment he attacked her from nowhere.

She should have seen it coming.

Unable to cry for help, she could only save herself. There was no one she knew who would aid her. Protect her.

"Haru-chan?"

Someone was calling her. Was it Chizuru?

Before forcing herself to wake up from the dream, the scene changed within a flash. Haru saw long brown hair and someone stabbed through her chest with a blade. The person looked up and met her eyes. It was Kanon who stabbed her. The emotion in her eyes filled with only sadness and hate. Then Kanon pushed the blade further in without mercy.

Haru was about to lose it. She felt her mind was going to break and shatter to pieces.

"Haru-chan!"

The woman woke from her dreams and immediately felt her body shaking for a mere second. She was resting her head on her arms over the table while sitting on a chair. Chizuru's hand was on her shoulder. She must have been trying to shake the Oni awake. Unable to make any sense how she was in an emptied room, Haru finally looked to Chizuru, who was still talking to her.

"Were you having nightmares again?" Chizuru grabbed a chair to sit next to her. Haru moved to sit up straight and wiped a couple of sweats on her forehead. Chizuru seemed sad when Haru's eyes stared nowhere, as if she was not fully conscious yet. "Haru-chan?" she called her name one more time.

Finally, she blinked and gradually smiled at Chizuru. She nodded to show she was now fine and Chizuru smiled a bit, but she was still worried.

"Do you want water?" Chizuru inquired softly. Haru shook her head to reject her offer. "…Would you like to go out for a walk then?" Haru glanced away and thought about it. She chuckled and nodded to Chizuru, who smiled wider. "Then, let's go."

The two of them stood up and made their way outside. Shinpachi had gone out to do an errand for his dojo. Something about fixing the locks. The two Onis strolled in the front yard first and then made it out on the streets side by side.

The sky was still bright and the sun was slightly over them. As usual, the wind felt good, but Haru felt a storm would come eventually. It would be the perfect timing too.

"I hope your nightmares goes away soon, Haru-chan," Chizuru wished, taking Haru's left hand softly. They walked by a garden that carried a sweet fragrance in the air.

'_It will… soon enough_,' Haru mentally said in her head. She grasped Chizuru's gentle hand and smiled to her. Chizuru giggled and looked straight ahead while Haru still gazed to her. '_After Kanon comes to Edo, my nightmares will go away forever_.'

And the time will soon arrive.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	34. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: Yet, another 2-week update! XD Maybe a little more than two weeks…

I apologize. About last week (more than eight days ago maybe, I don't really remember), my sister was home for her Spring break, so I spent most of my time with her… no matter how badly I wanted to write. Seriously, I mean it. I had to choose her or FanFiction… and I chose her in the end. And for the last few days, I was tired and busy. At the very least, I was able to update!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 30**

A sigh escaped Kanon's lips. She was standing by the opened window of the bedroom where Little Fukui was resting. She was alone. The other men had gone off to gather their thoughts about her matter by themselves. Although, Akio was just standing out in the hall. Kanon did not know where Souji and Yuma went.

As long as those two men did not kill each other then she believed they would be fine on their own.

It was just an hour ago when Yuma was speaking about a man named Kuromori Hibiki…

[…^…]

"Kuromori Hibiki?" Kanon squinted her eyes at Yuma, who still stay where he was. Souji was still leaning back against the wall while being seated and Akio remained by the door too. "Is he someone who may know how to help me?" Since that was the issue she wanted to solve.

He nodded, causing Souji to feel some hope for Kanon. Yuma went on to say, "However, Kuromori Hibiki and I have met only twice. I do not know where he is or what he is currently doing." Souji rolled his eyes at Yuma's report. "He has mentioned he meant your clan once before, Kanon. He even lived with them for the time being as a outside friend."

She widened her eyes directly at Yuma, slightly shock to know an Oni had wandered into her village before. Other than Haru herself. This fact seemed to have interest everyone else in the room too. "Go on," Kanon persisted with a nod.

Taking a breather, Yuma slowly notified, "Hibiki seemed to know a lot about your clan. He said he befriended your mother, the Time Healer. The two were rather close when Hibiki indicated it."

'_My mom_?' Kanon thought with no feelings attached. It was already in the past when she slightly recalled grieving for a woman in bed when Kanon was a little child.

"Although, Hibiki never gave me the details of your clan," Yuma stated, almost lowering his head with shame. "I believe he may be able to assist you, Kanon, for the reason is that his power may be prove useful."

Souji frowned, "In what way? Cut to the chase."

Ignoring the human with green eyes, Yuma gestured with his hand raised in midair. Kanon stared at him intensely and waited for him to continue. "The blood of my clan…" Yuma closed his hand, his fingers into his palm. "I believe it wishes to harm you, Kanon. As we know, my great-great-great grandfather's younger brother hated your great-great-great grandmother… My blood may have reacted at a fast rate because of _your_ power. With that, finding Hibiki and have him cancel your power completely, but only temporary… may save your life and you may give birth safely."

"Will that really work?" Souji questioned, narrowing his eyes to the Oni. Now, Yuma looked over to him as he sensed the human was merely concerned. "You're not just making it up, are you?"

"I know I am correct about my blood reacting Kanon's healing power," Yuma confidently replied with his calm gaze.

Kanon clapped her hands once and seemed enlightened. "I think Yuma is on to something," she said. Souji and Akio gave her a long look. "Because _something_ seemed to be blocking me and my power for some reason…"

"That may be a reaction from the hatred of my family to your bloodline," Yuma clarified since it made more sense. And he wanted to ask, "What else have you noticed that changed?"

She rubbed her chin and squinted her eyes. "…There's that black light…"

"Yeah, that one," Souji snapped his fingers as if he just remembered it.

Yuma looked to him and then at Kanon. "The black light," he also recalled it now. "…I do not think it was caused by me or my clan."

"Eh?" Kanon blinked at him, completely confused. "Why? How? Why?"

The silverhead grunted softly and thought carefully first. They stared at him and patiently waited. "It may have something to do with your brother, Ayumu," Yuma finally considered to give his judgment. The black light only reminded him of Kanon's brother after all.

"A-Ayumu?" Kanon's mouth dropped. How did her brother get caught up in this?

Yuma let out a sigh and looked to the side with his eyebrows furrowing. And then his eyes lifted back to make eye contact with Kanon. "Did something happen before your brother passed away?" he inquired for any clues.

She quickly shook her head, "Nothing. He…" She trailed off in her sentence because it bothered her now.

There was _that_ moment when Ayumu was sending waves of the black light that night. It was absolutely gorgeous. Her memories forwarded and rewound back and forth to see if something was amiss at the time. The black light touched the ground and the sky… Kanon slowly recollected the traces of the black light. Then she remembered the black light touched her body during the moment she took Ayumu's hand.

The black light was emitting from his body and when it touched her… it disappeared into her once.

"Ahhh!" Kanon rushed up on her feet and her fists in front of her. Her sudden outburst made all of the men flinch at the same time. "That black light spread out, but there was a second of it that it went _into_ me!"

"Hah?" Souji peered at her, puzzled at what she meant. "What does that have to do with anything, Kanon?"

She pouted and waved her arms around. "I don't know!" she told him. "But I feel it may be some kind of clue! …What the hell did Ayumu do to me?! Or maybe he didn't know, butttt…!"

Yuma boldly stated, "That honestly does not help us."

Kanon glared at him and Yuma closed his mouth. She pointed as she yelled, "I'm sure it means something! Think, Yuma, _think_!"

The Oni gave her a strange look and was utterly quiet. And Souji's chuckle broke that pause between all of them. "This probably means we've reached to an dead end of this conversation," Souji observed.

Akio nodded, "I believe so too." But he was still confused about all of this, yet he got the gist of what had been happening to these young people.

The only person who sighed loudly was Kanon. Because now they must find someone named Hibiki. Just how in the world could they find him? There was little time left since Kanon felt the child might take her life first.

[…^…]

Back to the present, Kanon poked her head out the window to touch the wind. But it felt dead and she frowned at how things were looking down all over again. Little Fukui was not awake yet, Souji and Yuma seemed to be love rivals at the moment, and Akio was unkind to her. Kanon wished Ayumu, Yumeko, and Saburo were here to brighten everything up.

But that wish would never come true. They were already gone for an eternity. And her heart just broke from thinking about it.

"I miss you guys _so_ much," she mumbled, leaning her head against the window. Could she exchange the life of the child inside of her to get Ayumu and her friends back? If she _could_, she would.

Her hands ran down her belly and she closed her eyes as she rubbed it softly. It felt weird. Was there really a child in there? Was it a boy? Or a girl? She was curious and wished her power gave her the ability to know the gender. Maybe Little Fukui would have that power.

"Oh," Kanon opened her eyes and turned in place to look over to the child. '_That's right, he should have a power now_,' she thought to herself. Being really curious, she stared at his body and tapped into her power once again and hoped to find what kind of power Little Fukui had.

However, her head snapped and she closed her eyes and touched her head.

"Gosh, damn it," she cursed, opening one of her eyes. It must be the Kuromori's curse interfering with her again. It was really annoying and inconvenient. '_Guess I'll check what power Little Fukui have later_,' she decided, leaning back against the wall. Then she slid down and sat down.

There was silence, although the voices of other people in the inn and outside were heard. She could not make out the words, so she thought back about the child inside of her.

'_If I had a girl… I wonder if Little Fukui would fall in love with her_,' Kanon grinned at the thinking.

Before she knew it, she began to imagine the future alone in the room and wondered how it would be like.

[…^…]

Without realizing the strange darkness around him, Sanosuke was fighting through an army of Hakuouki, running and panting all at the same time with his spear in hand. His faceless friends were fighting in the distant and Sanosuke kept his concerned eyes on them. Arrows pierced through Heisuke and Shinpachi and blood rose into the dark red sky.

Sanosuke wanted to shout out to their backs facing him, but there was only silence. Before the blade of the katana swung across his face, he heard Hajime's voice shouting, "Sano!"

"Hey, wake up, Harada!" Kyou told him as if Sanosuke would fall off the edge of a cliff.

Someone smacked Sanosuke's in the head, causing him to open his eyes and staring at the blue sky. However, Hajime and Kyou closed in to look at Sanosuke. Both seemed slightly worried and Sanosuke breathed as his heart raced for a second.

"…What is it?" Sanosuke questioned weakly and moved to get up. His head ached and he touched it to stop the pain somehow.

Hajime leaned away and sat on his ankles on the dirty ground. "Are you all right, Sano?" he asked instead. Sanosuke glanced to him and then stared at the ground to collect what was going on just now. "You did not wake when I shook you."

"And you're sweating," Kyou noted. He had moved to stand up on his feet and folded his arms to his chest. He was scowling too since Sanosuke still seemed absentminded, who stared at his right hand.

As for Kyuuju, he quietly stood at a distance with his eyes on the three men.

Sanosuke finally blinked and remembered the dream he had. '_What was that all about_?' Sanosuke furrowed his eyebrows. He never had a nightmare like that one before. It also felt too real.

"We probably tried to wake you up for an hour too, Harada," Kyou frowned at Sanosuke's silence.

"An hour?" Sanosuke now looked up at him, fazed. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Hajime answered rather calmly. "You were completely as still as a statue."

Sanosuke gave all of the men strange looks. "Uh…" he had no idea what to say. Maybe it was nothing to be distressed about. A dream was just a dream. "Sorry, maybe I was simply really tired," Sanosuke now smirked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh huh, _sure_," Kyou rolled his eyes. If only Sanosuke saw himself, Kyou was certain it would be worrisome for him too. Turning to face Kyuuju, Kyou decided, "Since Harada is up, I'm going to go ahead and make sure the road is clear."

As Kyuuju nodded firmly, Kyou leaped and disappeared in an instant. Sanosuke gave Hajime a questioning look in the eye, "Wait, what?"

Hajime explained, "You and I are injured. For those reasons, Shiranui offered to make a path for us to travel with no trouble."

"Ohhh," Sanosuke chuckled, but more to himself. "How nice of him. He's been showing such a caring side, lately, hasn't he?" Of course Sanosuke would see it.

Rather not respond, Hajime looked away to check their surroundings. However, there was nothing to be cautious of, so he remained quiet and kept his eyes elsewhere. '_Are the others safe_?' Hajime thought to himself. And he was distraught for their well-being.

[…^…]

In another town, Ren walked inside of an inn with a black tray of two plates of riceballs and two cups of hot tea on his left palm. It had been some time ever since he and Kosuzu brought the unconscious Ryunosuke here. Even a nice doctor temporary treated Ryunosuke's wound with free of charge. Now, they were just waiting for him to wake up before moving on to head for Edo.

Currently, Ren made it on the second floor. He strolled through the hall and took his time. Until he heard Kosuzu shouting for Ryunosuke's name, Ren dashed while being careful with the tray he still held.

Sliding the door opened all the way, Ren looked into the room. Kosuzu was trying to shake Ryunosuke awake, who was grumbling with pain and his eyes completely shut tight. "What's wrong?" Ren entered the room and quickly closing the door behind him.

Kosuzu did not desire to use her super strength to get Ryunosuke to wake up. He had sweats on his forehead and his fingers claws the floor. "I-I don't know," she told Ren, glancing to him with a concerned expression. "He suddenly started to—"

She was cut off when Ryunosuke mumbled cursing words. Ren lowered the tray on the ground, away from them, and he moved over to the futon where the couple was. When he was closer, he heard Ryunosuke trying to call Kosuzu's name in his sleep. "Maybe he's having a nightmare?" Ren thought out loud.

Just as Ryunosuke's arm threw back harshly, Ren slightly blocked the arm so it would not hit Kosuzu's face. She raised her hand to her chin as her body was shaking with fear. "How can a nightmare do something like this?" she inquired. For it seemed to be too extreme for a single nightmare. She had never witness anything like this before either.

Casually, Ren suggested, "Did you try to hit him?" And he said it almost innocently as if it was a normal thing to do.

She lightly blushed with embarrassment, "He is still injured." Just after that, Ren raised his right fist and punched to Ryunosuke's chest. "Ren-san!"

Loudly, Ryunosuke coughed and his eyes were opened widely the second he sat up from the futon. He winced as Ren went to reach for the tray. "W-wha…?!" Ryunosuke gave his surroundings a quick look, as if he was searching.

"Ryunosuke!" Kosuzu smiled with relief, but still disapprove of Ren's way. The bluehead looked right at her and she moved closer to him. Before she could ask if he was well, Ryunosuke had taken her wrist and pulled her into an embrace. She was shocked as she felt his arms trembling. "Ryu—"

"You're… all right," he softly murmured. He hugged tighter and let out a shaken sigh. Her arms locked under his embrace and she could not find words to understand what was going through his mind.

"Hey, hey, I'm still here," Ren smirked at their closeness. Kosuzu blushed and _gently_ tried to push Ryunosuke away. She did so rather easily because of her power, causing Ryunosuke to blink and coming back to reality. And Ryunosuke turned his head to regard Ren. "Yo."

Ryunosuke recognized the black eye patched guy and pointed. "Why are you here?" he questioned. But more importantly, where was this place?

"Uhhh," Ren glanced to Kosuzu for her to explain.

However, she insisted on asking about Ryunosuke's strange condition. "Ryunosuke, were you having a bad dream?"

His eyes fixed to her and he seemed hesitant. "Y-Yeah… but it was nothing," he replied. "It was… just a dream." Kosuzu slowly narrowed his eyes and he knew right away she was still worried. "Really, just a simple dream!"

Ren quietly smirked as the two were still at it. And he began to feel envious. '_They're so lucky to have each other_,' Ren thought to himself. He wished he had someone to care for too. Just seconds later, Ren interrupted their staring contest, "Eat up, fearless lovers. We have to start moving as soon as we can, remember?"

"And just who are you?" Ryunosuke demanded as he snapped his head to the purplehead. Now that he thought about where they were, he wondered about of his friends.

Taking one of the cups filled with tea, Ren offered it to Kosuzu first. "We can replenish our energy while we help Ryunosuke catch up with our plan, Kosuzu." She nodded in agreement as she took the cup into her hands.

"Why are you calling _me_ by my first name?" Ryunosuke raised his voice. "And don't call Kosuzu so lightly!"

Really, recently people have been doing that. Was that the trend now? To call people by their first names?

[…^…]

Inside an unmoving black carriage, Kuroro was taking his nap comfortably. His body as laid on his right side and his head on his arms. Then slowly, he opened his eyes when he heard footsteps moving and stopping nearby. Then he listened.

"Lady Haru, it would appear Ryunosuke is conscious now." The voice belonged to the young woman dressed in yellow kimono.

Kuroro tapped into their conversation since a part of Haru's power was controlling him in some way too. Haru had said, '_Good. As long as he's alive_.'

Then another girl outside cheerfully suggested, "Can't we just guide them here ourselves, Lady Haru?" She was the other young woman dressed in pink from before. "We need Ryunosuke's power!"

"Momoko," the voice of the first young woman sighed. "You know that Kosuzu and Ren know our faces. We shouldn't get close to them."

"I know, but still," Momoko's voice complained. Kuroro sat up and leaned back against the carriage. "We can't wait any longer than twenty more days. We have to start now before we—"

Haru's voice interrupted with a chuckle, '_Just be more patient. You and Kiko still have time_.'

"Aw, but…" Momoko whined. "Lady Haru, you…"

The three of the young women continued their little conversation whereas Kuroro covered his face with his hand. And felt frustrated. '_I want all of this to be over with_,' he calmly wished. Time was running short and he worried for those who were affected by curse of the Time Healer's clan.

Outside the carriage, Kiko stood to face the south. They had stopped talking and Kiko used this chance to use her power. Closing her eyes as it glowed yellow in that second, she made her sight go beyond the horizon. She saw trees, lakes, paths, people, and houses. And then her sight captured Kanon in the inn that she was in.

"Nothing is happening ever since Yuma told Kanon about Kuroro," Kiko confirmed.

Momoko blinked and wanted to use her power as well. Covering her ears with both hands, her pink eyes glowed dimly and she used her hearing ability to where Kanon previously was. "…Oh, sounds like that yummy Souji guy returned to the inn too," Momoko noted as she beamed. "Lady Haru, should we continue to keep our eyes and ears opened?"

'_It's fine, everything is pretty much set into motion_,' Haru told them. Slightly, her own voice in their minds filled with some discomfort. '_Thank you, Kiko, Momoko. Cease from using your powers too often_.'

"Yes, Lady Haru," both young women replied. Kiko opened her eyes and it stopped glowing. Momoko removed her hands from her ears and smiled to the other girl with yellow eyes.

'_Haru_,' Kuroro's voice now came to their minds. '_There's something I must request of you_.'

'_And what is that_?' she asked indifferently. Whatever it was, she had complete trust in him and respected his decisions.

The boy with emotionless red eyes stared at his left hand that rose in midair. "Allow me to meet Yuma to give him a warning in person," Kuroro stated, keeping a resolve in mind. "And have him realize there is no such alternative to save the child of the Time Healer."

In this way, perhaps all hope would be abandon for Kanon and the people she met. And it would be to both Kuroro and Haru's advantage. For the ending had already been decided.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	35. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: Sorry for disappearing. …For like… over a month? XD I was busy writing other stories and completely ignored this one. On purpose. Haha! Again, my apologies. If you're still keeping up with this fanfic, thank you so much for coming to check up on this. :)

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 31**

The next day…

Outside in the front of the inn, Kanon was standing with her arms folded to her chest. She was sulking while Yuma was on her right and Souji on the other. The two men were giving each other silent looks and Kanon tried to show she was annoyed with it, however it seemed they did not care about the distress she was openly having.

Akio was at the doorsteps of the inn and let out an obvious loud and annoyed sigh. Wordlessly, Yuma and Souji slightly gazed to the older men. "Look," Akio frowned at men. "The girl doesn't have time to wait for you two to decide who is going to go with her to the hospital. Why don't you _both_ go? I'll be here with the child."

"No, one of them is staying behind," Kanon stated as turned around to face Akio. He was about ten feet from her and she pointed to his face. "You alone might not be able to fend off enemies if they show up."

Yuma's silver eyes were now on her, "Then allow Akio alone to accompany you." He would not stand to have Souji to be alone with Kanon.

"Haha, no way," she gave Yuma a frown. "You're an Oni and Souji's a Rasetsu. I need at least one of you to stay here with both Akio and Little Fukui."

As Souji grinned, he said, "Kanon, let's go."

She turned her head to him and then Yuma refused by saying, "You are not the father, Souji."

Kanon's mouth partly opened as she slowly gave Yuma a sighing look. She could not believe he said the word 'father' and was having this pointless conversation.

"I can be and I _will_," Souji smirked toward Yuma, his own eyes almost glowing with quiet rage. "There's no place for you here."

In response, Yuma lightly glared. Before he could speak though, Kanon let out a vexed shout to stop anyone from starting a stupid argument. "Okay, shut up!" she exclaimed, giving Souji an upset glance. Souji blinked, seemingly unfazed as Kanon then fixed her eyes on Yuma. "_You_, stay here! At least I can trust your abilities to protect both Akio and Little Fukui!"

Unable to object, Yuma stayed quiet. He did not wish to upset her any further. At the same time, Souji felt offended and said, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm too weak, Kanon?" He should be happy Kanon finally decided on him, but the way she phased ruined his ego.

Sharply rotating her body to leave, Kanon waved, "Hurry up or I'll leave you behind!"

With disapproval, Souji grunted and stepped to follow. '_Oh well_,' Souji let go of his question. At least he was able to go with her instead of Yuma. Right before leaving through the gates though, Souji flashed a smirk at Yuma's calm expression and left with Kanon.

The Oni sighed softly and watched the two leave together. "We could have just invited the doctor to come here too," Yuma said out loud, realizing the option.

Akio glanced to him silently and saw Yuma was still staring out even when Kanon and Souji were gone from sight behind wooden fences. The two of them were still and wordless. '…_I can't believe Haru-san did so many horrible acts on these people_,' Akio thought bitterly to himself. He had heard some things from Yuma before sleeping last night. And Akio was unsure how to really feel about all of this. '_To think I was listening to Haru-san and assisting her_…'

Like Yuma, Akio felt he should do something to rid of his sin.

"Yuma, tell me more about the reason why Haru-san is after Kanon-san." The Oni blinked first before turning to face Akio, who seemed rueful and serious. Then Akio stated, "I would like to know, because in this way, I will not have any hesitation to fight Haru-san… who once saved my life."

Akio must be in a dilemma to say that, Yuma understood. Would a person fight together with with a person who saved them? Or fight for what was right?

Faintly smiling, Yuma inquired the older man, "Would you fight alongside the Oni who played with people's lives… or fight for a princess who had been left behind to shoulder the burden all alone, Akio?"

The man kept his eyes with Yuma's silver eyes. The gentle wind and distant voices filled the silence between the two of them. And the only thing that seemed to have process Akio's mind was 'princess.'

[…^…]

Kanon was still displeased and Souji simply guided her to find the hospital. They did not exchange words for a while and he rather not hear her whine about happened back at the inn. After they spotted a small hospital, they went and did what they wanted right away. There was only a small fee, but it was the last of their money too. They paid anyway because Souji insisted.

"You just need plenty of rest," the female doctor kindly noted. In a small room, Kanon was sitting on her ankles on the floor while Souji was at the door watching them. The middle-aged doctor had long black hair pulled up into long large bun and the color of her eyes was black. She wore white attire and in her hands was a piece of paper. Offering it to Kanon, who took it with her right hand, the doctor smiled, "Just make sure to take this prescription twice a day and you should be fine."

While Kanon had no idea what she was exactly holding, Souji stepped in softly. "So, do you know if the baby's all right?" he asked with his eyes directed to the female doctor.

Smiling, the doctor stood up straight and said, "I found nothing unusual."

That was because Kanon and Souji could not tell her about what the baby had been doing to Kanon. Even if it was not the baby, they probably could not explain it to the doctor anyway.

Then the woman chuckled, "Do not fear, the medicine should help the child in your wife as well."

Unexpectedly, Kanon blushed while staring at the piece of paper in her hand. Souji was smiling to the doctor after taking a glance to Kanon's red face. "Thank you for your time," he bowed.

After they were done, Kanon stormed out of the front door of the hospital. She was just embarrassed about being called someone's wife. Just many thoughts crossed her mind and she was bewildered. When she thought she had escaped, Souji had grabbed her left wrist and stopped her in the middle of the street.

"Kanon, wait, give me that prescription," he said.

She turned and shoved the paper in his chest, keeping her eyes on the ground. He took it, but still held onto her wrist. "We don't have money anyway, just throw it away," she kept her head lowered, using a harsh tone.

Souji raised an eyebrow as Kanon began to twist her wrist around to be freed from his grasp. "I can work and get us the money," he told her rather casually as if there was no big deal. He was confused about how she suddenly seemed reluctant. Was she thinking about getting rid of the baby again? Or was the 'wife' part making her like this?

His grip was tight and Kanon relaxed herself without struggling now. Her eyes were glaring at the ground. "Work for money? Are you kidding?" she grumbled.

His eyes turned dark and he asked, "What is it now? Don't tell me you don't get why I would do that for you." She grew quiet and spoke no words. Souji heaved out a sigh and wanted to grab her and hug her. But he restrained himself and said, "I like you. I promised to be with you. So, will you just… accept that already?"

Kanon's ears turned red, he could tell. When he squeezed her wrist, she lifted up her eyes to meet his. "Do you expect me to just go along with it?" she uncouthly asked. He glared to her and she added, "I didn't want the baby in the first place."

"If you want, I'll kill that bastard right now," he offered with a shrug. He did not want to get mad about the way she was speaking with such a tone. That was why he tried to make this conversation more positive. Or something like that. He did not like Yuma anyway.

"No, don't kill anyone," she frowned. She shook her head to erase the negativity out of her mind. "Sorry, Souji. …I'm still shocked about the baby and what's… happening to me… I wish none of this happened." She remembered she agreed with Souji's promise. And if she went back on it now, what would that make her look like?

However, there was still Yuma. She feared of hurting him when Haru had already done enough damage to him. Yuma was even cursed by his own family. Kanon did not want to leave him out since he was the _father_. That was the reason when she thought about these two men, it frustrated her when they were fighting for her.

She wanted a happy ending for everyone. She was wishing it so bad to the point it made her so upset that many thoughts ran through her head. Not everything would go her way. Nothing would be the same again since the moment she lost Ayumu.

"I… want to go back in time," she whispered, shutting her eyes closed. Souji seemed surprised when she said it. "If _only_ I never met Haru… and Aunt Akiko… Saburo, Yumeko… and… you."

There was a long silence. Kanon opened her eyes and timidly stared at the right side to the dirt on the ground. Souji said nothing and kept holding onto her wrist, never wanting to let go. A few people were walking by and had stolen some glances at them. The sound of Souji gulping made her nervous.

"…You did not _just_ say that, Kanon." She pouted, feeling slightly guilty now. He sounded mad… and maybe he was hurt.

Her eyes widened when he unexpectedly pulled her into a hug, his arms tightly around her body. '_Wait, what the hell_!' she blushed, trying to push him away with her hands pulling on his clothes.

"If you went back in time and if we never meet again, I will still remember you, no matter what!" he scowled. Trying to be gentle, he did not want to harm the baby between them. She was now tugging on his clothes on his arms, giving no other reaction. "Don't you ever, _ever_ say never wanting to meet me again."

Did she even understand how it felt to hear such a thing? Was it not obvious how much he had come to care for her? Souji could feel his heart racing with anger and more anger. And he began to hate her. Why was she even having those kinds of thoughts? What was he doing wrong by supporting her?

…His friends and Kanon were all he had left. And he was not about to let them go. "I'm never letting you go, Kanon."

Struggling to free herself still, Kanon was raging with fury herself. "Souji, stop it!" she demanded. It was suffocating. His embrace was annoying her. Why was he so nice to her? She felt she had forgotten why they both ended up with this mess.

He would not let go. She tried harder and he gritted his teeth. When she called his name again, to be freed from his arms, he loudly told her, "Kanon, why don't you get it?! I love—"

Chills ran down her back and her whole body. And she was reminded about that night at the brothel. She feared from Souji's touch. Her head ached with pain and her stomach felt weird. In that instant, her left eye converted from blue and to a golden color.

Black wind was released all around her and forcefully pushed Souji away. His body flown back a bit, however he got his footing back on the earth and slightly lowered his body to keep himself from being blown away. "Kanon?!" he shouted, using his right forearm to cover his view from the flying dirt.

There was fear in her eyes. Just like the other time… although, this time, the wind was even more powerful. The black storm roared as she covered her ears and her eyes searched for Souji, but she could barely see him in front of her.

People were screaming with the wind. The sky seemed to have turned dark. The wind had torn down houses, fences, trees, and streets all around her. She could feel as though she was ramming the place herself. "Stop it!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes. She wanted the storm to end. What was triggering this power she could not control?

Still unable to see Souji, Kanon tried to calm herself. She rushed to find her own power to gain back control. Her mind led her into darkness. The sound of the wind was still there and she could scarcely concentrate. Focusing again, something seemed to have cloaked over her.

And for some reason, she could felt it smiling sadistically.

'_This power_…' Kanon gradually opened her eyes. Her heart dropped at a mere thought. And she could not stop herself from fearing it. '_Ayumu's power_…'

It was the baby.

There was no proof, but Kanon could feel the baby had made use of Ayumu's power. With the blood from Yuma's origin, and Kanon's origin… just what kind of child had been created? And how was it even using Ayumu's power?

More than ever, she wished the baby would just go away.

'_Aunt Akiko… help me_,' Kanon pleaded, feeling faint. Her hands left her ears and the wind started to die down. Her heart felt emptied and she was so tired. Of everything.

Just as her body fell backwards, someone had caught her with their arm around her shoulder.

"Kanon!" Souji called.

She heard footsteps and her vision blurred. As it came back, she saw it was Yuma who caught her. His usual calm expression showed anxiety. He helped her stand and she tried to find the strength to get back up on her own two feet. '_I feel so drained_…' she sighed. It must be her child, taking every bit of her life, like Yuma had explained before.

The child probably wanted her to die while she wished it would go away. So… they both did not want each other? Kanon felt horrible. Feeling unwanted was the most enduring feeling. Had the child felt the same then, to be unwanted by Kanon?

Just as Souji approached them, Kanon had closed her eyes and lost conscious. Again.

Nearly half of the town was damaged by the black storm. Yuma ignored the surroundings and he lowered his other arm to sweep Kanon's legs up, carrying her into his arms.

"Kanon," Souji called again, his hand reaching out.

"It's best if you stay away from her for now."

Souji instantly glared, pausing in his steps. He was merely two yards from Yuma, who gave Souji a grave look. Then Souji retorted, "What gives you the right to decide that?"

The silverhead closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He had to tell this human something. Perhaps Souji would understand why Kanon was like this. "Do you really believe she will love you back?" Yuma inquired, meeting Souji's green eyes yet again.

No words were exchanged from Souji. He only gave Yuma a serious look, but at the same time, he wondered where Yuma was going with this.

"Because when I made love to her that night, can you imagine what she was saying during the entire unfortunate event?" Yuma continued to question. Souji glared and still said nothing. "She begged, 'Souji, stop it. No more. _Stop_, Souji.'"

Slowly, he gave the Oni a blank look. And in the inside, Souji felt… bewildered. And then the thought discomforted him. '_Does that mean_…?' Souji grasped, his fingers twitching at his sides. '…_That I am the only one she refused to get close to_?'

Kanon's trauma of being close to men… only applied to Souji? Was that why Kanon did not feel anything when Saburo held her? This reason alone could enlighten it all.

Wanting to curse Yuma for creating this misunderstanding in Kanon's unconscious reaction to Souji, the Oni stepped back and leaped once into the air. Souji rushed forward and shouted, "Hold on, where are you going?!" Was Yuma going to take her away?

Yuma had already gone high up and out of Souji's reach. The human of green eyes ceased from running and could only glare daggers to the silverhead. "If Kanon wants to see you, I'll bring her back," Yuma coolly told him. Souji's chocked on his words, unable to do anything but watch Yuma take Kanon. "For now, I can't let you be close to her. I won't allow her to suffer as long as you are around."

"What—" Souji uttered, but Yuma had disappeared with Kanon in the sky. There was no more trace of them.

Trying to breath normally, Souji was seriously losing his mind. What gave Yuma the _right_ to decide that for Kanon? Why did Yuma think Kanon was suffering because of Souji? It was Haru's fault and Yuma's too!

Souji bit his tongue and lowered his eyes. His hands turned to fists and he wanted to curse loudly. He bit his tongue again from doing so. '_I did nothing wrong_,' he mentally stated to himself. '_I did _nothing_ wrong_!'

It was Yuma, he was wrong. It was Haru, she caused pain to Kanon and her friends and brother. It had nothing to do with Souji. Nothing at all.

And when he sees Yuma again, Souji will prove that to him. And he will prove it to Kanon. And that she meant so much to him.

"…Kanon," he murmured, gritting his teeth hard. The thought of not being by her side troubled him. They had been together ever since they met in that nameless village. To be away from her drove him impatient.

As he relaxed himself as quickly as possible, he raised his eyes to the town around him. People had walked about and started to help one another. No one had seen what actually happened and where the black wind came from. Souji softened his eyes as he saw a little girl helping her father out of the broken house.

For now, Souji would do what he can. He walked forward and hurried to aid the townspeople. And later, he would go and meet up with Akio, assuming that older man was still with Little Fukui.

After that… well, he would see to it soon enough.

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for any mistakes you see! Next update might be slow again too. XD More apologizes in advance!

Thanks for reading!


	36. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer**: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! _Drools_. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

**Author's note**: Okay, it's time for a confession (since my two fanfiction friends know this). 8D On FanFiction, my other pen name is "waremono Iv" BUT with a 'period' between 'waremono' and 'Iv' (no spaces or whatsoever) because I think fanfiction detect it as some kind of link or something. So yeah, I have two fanfiction accounts.

One reason why I have another account, to run from the readers once and a while. XD So that they don't know I am getting lazy or doing something else, which I try not to. :3

That is all.

Oh wait, another thing. I have a 'collaborate' fanfiction account as well. With my sisters, though it's mostly just me. I will mention this on another day. XD If I ever feel like it.

Enjoy reading!

* * *

**"Forever" will not keep us connected**

**Chapter 32**

_Shut up, Kanon! You're annoying!_

_Kanon, stop sharing your food with me._

_Why are you smiling for, Kanon?_

_Who named you 'Kanon?'_

_Kanon._

"Lady Haru?"

Gradually, her eyes opened. Haru found herself sitting by a tree outside in an deserted, small street. The sunlight beamed through the branches and leaves. Lifting up her view, she saw Momoko and Kiko standing in front of her, hands clasped in front of them.

'_Oh, you two are here_,' Haru smiled, fixing her blond hair from the wind. She woke up from a strange dream and tried to be collected about it. Yet, her heart yearned for what it was about.

Momoko moved to sit by Haru and giggled. "Can Kiko and I run off to play?" the pink-eyed girl grinned.

Nodding, Haru used her power to reply, '_Of course. This is your only break you'll get_.'

Chuckling, Kiko stood where she was. "Lady Haru, yesterday, Yuma had taken Kanon," she informed. "Though Kanon had not woken yet, Yuma seemed to be searching for Kuroro."

There was silence from Haru, whose eyes stared at the ground. And then the girls heard her questioned, '_Who is Kanon_?'

The two young women stared blankly for a moment. Momoko then seemed shocked while Kiko smiled sadly. "Lady Haru," Kiko closed her eyes. "Kanon is the key to your happiness. Our happiness. Everyone's."

Haru seemed confused and looked to Momoko, who struggled to smile. '_Oh… I see_,' Haru realized, feeling lightheaded. She had forgotten about a certain part of something, but she recollected the reason why she could not seem to recall Kanon's face. Without further due, Haru stood up, but Momoko quickly helped her to her feet. '_Then I guess this would mean Kuroro will lead Yuma and… Kanon here_?'

"Yeah," Momoko lightly nodded.

'_Alright then_,' Haru walked off by herself. Her eyebrow furrowed, still puzzled as there was a heavy feeling in her chest. '_I must go back to Chizuru and Shinpachi. You two can go and play for a while. I'll call you when Kuroro have news_.'

While Momoko walked to stand with Kiko, they watched Haru return to her friends a mile from here. Edo was peaceful and people's voices were in the distance. When Haru was gone from sight, the two young women both let out a tired sigh.

"So…" Momoko tugged Kiko's sleeve. "The ones Lady Haru loves the most, she forgets them first, is that right?"

Barely nodded, Kiko murmured, "The cursed power of the human clan with the Oni blood… is truly horrifying."

"Lucky that Haru is an Oni, the effect of the curse works much slower," Momoko looked to where Haru had disappeared. Touching her chest, Momoko felt terrified and her eyes wavered at a thought. "But on a human… the curse works its way _much_ faster… Will Souji be okay, even if he's an Hakuouki?"

Kiko closed her eyes and breathed in. Smiling, she now gave Momoko and gentle look. "Do not think too much," she told the girl with the pink eyes. "Right now, it is the only time we are able to relax. Shall we go, Momoko?"

She tried to smile, desiring for their free time. Taking the yellow-eyed girl's hand, she giggled, "Let's go and eat some sweets, Kiko!"

With a soft chuckle, Momoko lead the way and Kiko did her best to keep up as they entered the marketplace crowded with people of Edo.

'_Ayumu-kun, I hope Kanon will still be alive after all of this_,' Kiko secretly thought as if she was being burden by an unknown force. Haru's wish, Kiko would see through all of it with Momoko by her side.

[…^…]

From a deep slumber, Little Fukui opened his eyes. His body felt extremely exhausted and all he could move was his eyes. As he got his mind to work, the last thing he recalled was when the strange men took him away in front of his grandfather's eyes. His parents must be worried by now. But how long has it been?

And there was that time when he was shot from behind. He winced when he clearly remember the pain.

The child was able to get some of his strength back and turned his head to the right when he heard a soft mutter. Slowly recognizing the face, Little Fukui called, "Souji?" But his voice was so weak, not even a mouse would hear him. Souji was holding his katana as it leaned on his right shoulder.

"Ka…non…" As if in pain, Souji was mumbling. Little Fukui remembered her face too and blinked as he stared at the ceiling. And then he realized they were in an unmoving wagon.

There were movements outside. Little Fukui was frightened and tried to move to warn Souji. The moment Akio opened the curtains, Little Fukui shouted, "It's the bad man!"

Souji's head bobbed down and he opened his eyes. While the kid was still shouting, Souji gazed to Akiko, who was carrying a dead chicken in his left hand. Akio was sighing at the same time, but since Little Fukui was not aware of the situation, Akio backed away to leave.

"You're awake?" Souji moved forward and helped the kid sit up.

Little Fukui groaned, closing one of his eyes. His body felt sore, though his hands responded now. "Souji, that man…!" the boy turned his head.

Smiling, Souji patted on his head, "He's on our side now." The boy was confused and looked at up him. "A lot… happened," Souji lowered his eyes.

[…^…]

Everything was explained to the child, but he barely was able to take it all in. He had a little head and could not keep all the information together. "So… I have a power?" that was what crossed his curious mind. "Only Kanon will be able to tell what it is?"

Souji nodded, his back leaned up against the wagon. "But she's not here right now," he said without being so serious. "…Yuma's taking care of her."

Concerned with one thing, the boy inquired, "What about my grandpa? My mom and dad?"

"Do you want to go back to them?" The boy nodded timidly and Souji sighed. "…I'm not willingly to take you there. I have to go and find Kanon and stop Haru."

Little Fukui was slightly discouraged, however he felt guilty if he did leave. '_Kanon's in danger, right_?' he asked himself, curling up to hug his legs. "B-but I'll just be in the way…" He even felt homesick.

Looking to the side, Souji called, "Akio-san, will you take him back?"

"I will not," Akio's voice was close by. "I must save the princess and her friends' lives."

Souji smirked and eyed the boy, "See?"

Before Little Fukui could utter a word, Akio suggested, "We can leave him with a family for now."

"What?!" Little Fukui exclaimed, a bit scared. "Never mind, I rather stay with you guys! Please don't leave me with people I don't know!" Being in a world with strangers was unbearable. What if he got sold off?

He nearly moved to his knees to bow, but Souji stopped him and patted him on the shoulder. Snickering, Souji said, "Akio-san was just kidding. Of course we'll keep an eye on you… but if you don't know what your power is, I will have to consider Akio-san's idea. After all, we can't protect a defenseless child while fighting."

"Right, I _have_ a power!" the boy stood up, looking determined. He always hated being in his parents' way, so this made no difference to him to grow independently. Girls would like his confidence too. "I'll figure it out as soon as I can! Kanon and you guys saved me after all!"

Souji blinked, slightly impressed about the way the boy was cooperating and thinking by himself. His decision-making was so fast. Though, this was probably for the best. "Akio-san, how more days before we get to Edo?" he asked, tilting his head outward.

His voice replied, "Two more days and one night."

They were closer than he thought. Souji smirked and said, "Then we better get moving."

"After we eat," Akio told him, still keeping himself from being seen. "I bought this chicken to replenish our strengths."

Little Fukui's stomach growled and he blushed with a nervous chuckle. Souji gave him a smile and shrugged, "Fine, we'll eat first."

[…^…]

At the entrance of Edo, Sanosuke paused there and looked around his surroundings. Behind him stood Hajime, Kyou, and Kyuuju. It seemed like a good day since people were walking around.

Getting pass the guards at the checkpoint, the four men wandered as a group. But then Kyou spoke, "Let's spilt up."

Sanosuke nodded as he looked back to the Oni. "Good idea," he smiled, resting his spear onto his shoulder. "Hajime and I will search around this area and the west side." Sneering, Kyou turned as Kyuuju went with him without a word. As those two were leaving, Sanosuke fixed his eyes on Hajime. "Let's go and see if anyone came to Edo."

"Yes," Hajime returned a serious look, keeping his katana close. Letting Sanosuke leading the way, Hajime closely followed.

They walked for half an hour, perhaps. Even though they did not eat for two meals now, no one was saying anything about it. They were rather worked up about everyone else; they had no time to notice their hunger even if they strolled by a booth with fruits and sweets.

"Maybe we're the first ones here," Sanosuke uneasily chuckled to himself.

Hajime nodded with a glance toward him. "That wind from before… Our friends may have ended up landing far from here," he noted.

Now Sanosuke was even more worried and put his other hand on his hip. "I hope they're still alive," he grumbled. If only his power had a wider range, he would at least be relieved if he could sense their presences from miles away. If _only_.

"Momoko, please watch where you are going!"

Someone had just bumped their back against Hajime and he stepped forward to keep his balance. Looking over his shoulder, Hajime saw who it was. Sanosuke had turned around too, smiling when a pink-eyed girl spun around to see how she ran into.

"Oh!" Momoko gasped. In her arms, she was holding yellow and white flowers. Her eyes stared at Hajime, who recognized her figure.

Kiko walked up to them and paused by Momoko, giving Hajime a shocked expression. While those three were quiet, Sanosuke was just confused. "I am sorry if my friend was not looking where she was going," Kiko quickly bowed. She hurried and took Momoko's hand and dragged her away.

The flowers were dropped to the ground as Hajime gave chose. "Sano, those girls may be Haru's servants from the brothel!" Hajime shouted with haste. He remembered the two young women, who planned everything perfectly for Kanon that night. Since the two were shocked to see him, he knew he was right.

"What?" Sanosuke's eyes widened, then hurrying to go after the women. His eyes glowed and memorized their presences. With his power, he would catch one of them sooner or later.

Kiko and Momoko ran as fast as the wind. Fading into the crowd, like Onis, they disappeared. However, they would spot Sanosuke nearby and would rush to get out of the area.

"Gah!" Momoko tripped, landing on her side.

Looking back, Kiko saw Momoko's right leg was bleeding. "Momoko!" she rushed to her side.

"It's Hajime," Momoko winced, looking down to her leg. A hole was created at the back of her leg when her blood suddenly forced its way out of her skin. "His power to control water…"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Kiko lifted up her chin as Hajime and Sanosuke was running toward them in the narrow path of an alley. "We should have paid attention to them before relaxing," Kiko blamed mostly herself. Since escaping from Sanosuke's eyes would prove to be difficult, they would just have to… "Kill him," Kiko concluded. '_Even if Ayumu-kun saved his life once_.'

Momoko stood up, wobbling a bit and glared. "Sounds good to me," she smirked.

A second later, Sanosuke felt the wind picking up. Soon, the two men saw the girls changing forms. Their hair turning white and their eye color becoming golden. "Onis?" Sanosuke growled, gripping on his spear. "Are they going to battle us?"

Hajime took out his katana and was ready to fight. They were women, but he must defend himself and ask these two about Haru's plans. When Kiko ran toward them first, Hajime noticed Momoko aiming for him.

Kiko came in closely and Sanosuke thrust with his spear. It nearly hit her neck, but she jumped, twirling right above him and she grabbed his hair. Before she even landed on her feet, her strength pulled on his hair and threw him up in the air, tossing him away. It was quite painful, Sanosuke was sure she pulled out a few of his hair.

As concerned as he was for Sanosuke, Hajime had to be ready for Momoko. When she took a step to run, she was really fast and already showed up in front of his face. She was in pain, but her smile made her look like she was not fazed by the minor injury. Hajime slashed out before she could do anything else, but she disappeared with a hiss of mist as his katana only cut through air. And then a kick from behind threw him off his feet and he hit against a pile of wooden boxes on the side, knocking them down loudly.

Landing perfectly, Kiko flicked her bangs to the side when Sanosuke's body hit a fence. Alarmed voices were now heard. Kiko was worried about her exposing her Oni form, but it would not matter as soon as Kanon make it to Edo.

"Ow, ow…" Sanosuke used his spear to get up. He winced and Kiko dashed toward him. "Wait, we just want to talk!" he tried to be composed, readying for the female Oni.

'_But we cannot afford to speak of Lady Haru_,' Kiko glared to him, ready to throw a punch.

Momoko had the same thought, running with her blood dripping behind her.

A sigh escaped Hajime's lips. '_I didn't want to do this… but_,' he closed his eyes halfway. But since they were Onis, being merciful was not necessary.

A chill ran down Momoko's body. Before she realized about his power again, she held back a scream as blood burst from her upper back.

Kiko stopped, eyes widened when she heard blood splashing. She turned her head and saw Momoko falling onto her face. "Momoko!" she exclaimed at the amount of blood spilled.

Quickly, Sanosuke had seized Kiko from behind, taking her arms, but Kiko was furious and grabbed his arms. She bent forward and threw him into the air yet again. "Sano!" Hajime called, eyes focusing on Kiko.

But she disappeared. Hajime's eyes snapped open and Kiko had appeared with her hand on his blade. Her hand bleed as she snapped the point of the katana off, taking the piece as she aimed to slash across his eyes to stop him from using his powers. She thought he could control water with his eyes, but little did she know he actually could control water at will.

"Hajime!" Sanosuke cried.

Before the edge reached to Hajime's eyes, Kyou dropped by to kick Kiko away. The young woman had fallen a few yards away and the point of the katana fell and she landed on it with her back. She let out a shout and groaned.

"Hey, hey, don't forget about us!" Kyou grinned when his feet reached the dirty ground.

Sanosuke smiled with great relief at his entrance and stood up with his spear in hand. Kyuuju had showed up out of nowhere and begun to walk toward Kiko. "Wait, don't hurt her!" Sanosuke told him. Even if it was too late, Sanosuke did not desire to harm the female Onis any further.

Groaning with pain, Kiko forced herself to get up. She ignored the point of the katana in her back and she stepped to Kyuuju. As the tall Oni stopped walking, Kiko walked by him and simply approached her friend on the ground. "Momo…ko…" Kiko's voice weakened, her Oni form vanished.

Something seemed wrong. Hajime's eyes widened as he saw Momoko's back was still in the same state. She was not healing… but Onis could heal by themselves, could they not?

Who cared if they were caught now? Momoko was hurt and they were out numbered. Kiko slammed her knees on the ground, staring at her friend helplessly. "Momoko…?"

A hand moved and Momoko groaned. Her hair returned to normal and her pink eyes looked up to Kiko's own. "Heh… I'm… okay," she tried to smile. Blood dripped from her lips and she blinked to herself. "Maybe not…"

"Wait, you're an Oni…" Kyou stared at Momoko's back. A lot of blood was still flowing out of her body. "Why aren't you… regenerating?"

Gazing back, Kyuuju was having a very bad feeling and stayed quiet.

Sanosuke hurried down to Kiko's side and he took off his shirt. "Why isn't she healing?" he asked, utterly shocked to see the Oni bathed in blood.

When he was going to touch Momoko to cover up her wounds, Kiko was angered. "Don't you _see_ it?" she frowned, her heart aching. She allowed Sanosuke to pick Momoko up as Hajime immediately aided. "Onis who were healed by the cursed clan became Tainted."

Kyou's mouth dropped, "What are you talking about?"

The yellow-eyed young woman glared up at him. "Can't you feel it inside of _you_?" she inquired at Kyou's ignorance. With her hand reaching to the edge in her back, she pulled it out and then threw it to Kyou's face. The point of the katana merely scratched his left cheek and he did not even bother to dodge. His eyes widened when the small wound did not heal. "You and I, healed by that certain clan, can no longer heal on our own."

"…What?" both Kyou and Kyuuju stared at her. It was like her words went through their ear to the other.

"We rely on _them_ to heal us," Kiko lowered her head, hating herself for not being strong enough to protect Momoko. "But the human who saved Momoko… no one else can heal her now…!" Her voice rose, causing Hajime's eyes to waver.

Sanosuke grunted, finishing up wrapping Momoko's back. It was still leaking though. so then he picked Momoko up, who seemed to have lost consciousness. "It's not too late, where can we find a doctor?" Sanosuke asked, looking down to Kiko.

Her eyes looked up at him, surprised. Why would he help the enemy? This man confused her, however her friend's life was in danger. It was more important to save her. "I-I think it was over here," Kiko uttered quietly, moving to get up on her feet.

"Wait—" Kyou called, but Kiko and Sanosuke already hurried to the exit of the alley.

Kyuuju was sighing about the bloody scene, it would bring trouble of no one washed it off. Who was going to do it though? Maybe they should just leave it like this and hide the fact a fight occurred here.

Trailing after Sanosuke, Hajime left the Onis in confusion. Although, Hajime was puzzled as well. '_So then, the humans with the cursed blood can heal others… and if it was an Oni they saved, they become Tainted_?' Hajime tried to calculate the possibilities behind it.

…What else lie behind the power of the cursed human clan?

* * *

Thanks for reading! :D


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